Tainted Ties - Act One: Dark Shroud
by Tony Mancosu
Summary: Set nearly five millennia after the Galactic Civil War, this story introduces a cast of all-new original characters including one distant descendant of 'those born of the Force'. A new evil unleashes a master plan many lifetimes in the making that just may bring about a new dark age. Fast-paced and focusing on character development with a good amount of action. Please review!
1. Prelude & Chapter 1

**STAR WARS:**

**Tainted Ties**

* * *

**Not so long ago, in a galaxy far, far away…**

The small ship touched down on the rocky surface of what looked to be a ghost planet, a world not found on any chart. Though there were no signs of vegetation or life of any kind, a lone water source was visible not far from where the ship had come to rest, slightly askew on the jagged surface.

The ship itself was a light freighter barely large enough for the three passengers it contained; a human male, perhaps in hisearly forties, with dark hair and pale skin; a female Dresselian and a male Gotal, both younger than the human. As the cargo hatch opened they emerged, each with a large hover crate in tow. One was larger than the other. As the planet had an atmosphere, they were able to breathe with no assistance. The Dresselian and the Gotal immediately powered down the crates, setting foot on the surface and began unloading the equipment inside: two each of what looked to be some type of jet pack and breath masks.

The human, who towed the larger of the crates, left it in air as he began examining the equipment.

"Tenks, we need a good clear patch of solid ground for the anchor," the Dresselian said as she removed a series of flexisteel straps and hooks from her crate.

"Coming right up, milady." The Gotal removed a blaster-shaped tool with a fine metal point protruding from the muzzle and began kicking rocks around and tapping at the ground, stopping at a spot about threemeters from the water source, a small pond branching off into several thin streams that quickly disappeared in the near distance.

He brought the point of the tool directly to the ground, looked away and pulled the trigger, sending up a few pebbles and tiny plumes of dust. It was no louder than the sound of a hammer and a chisel hitting rock. The metal projectile was gone, and a flexi-steel line led out of the ground and back into the barrel of the gun. He pushed a button on the side, and a _thnk thnk thnk thnk _could be heard coming from underground. He gave the line a couple of good tugs, then nodded in satisfaction.

The human and Dresselian had donned jet packs and breath masks and brought the larger crate, nearly large enough to hold the three of them lying down, and began fastening the straps into a makeshift harness around it, which they attached to the line.

"You're sure this is the place, Mr. Tratzel?" the Dresselian regarded the human in a mechanical voice coming from the filter of the mask.

"I couldn't be more. And rest assured, I guarantee this will be a worthwhile investment of your time and abilities."

"I don't usually do this kind of work without any credits up front, but I've always been the adventurous type, and if this is half of what you say it is, it could be my last job."

"Oh, it will be, I promise."

"I could use a nice long vacation. Maybe I'll even open a little cantina on some outer world," Tenks added. The three ventured to the edge of the water source with the crate and stopped shy of the edge. "I wouldn't mind taking a little dip, actually. The weather's not that bad here- if you happen to be a Tauntaun!"

"Mr. Gilspar, please be careful, this is not water as you would expect," Tratzel cautioned. Upon closer inspection, there was something off about the water.

It looked thinner, almost airy, if this were possible.

"Rather than the normal balance of hydrogen and oxygen, it contains a helium-like compound in place of the oxygen, making it much lighter. A humanoid, or any creature, for that matter, has no buoyancy in it, and will immediately sink upon entering, almost as if in free fall. And it is no shallow drop, either."

"That explains the jet packs. But will they work in there, Eda?"

"They're modified scuba propulsion devices. I've used them in real water before, and they lack nothing for power. The only real concern is whether they can handle these conditions." The Dresselian turned to Tratzel tentatively.

"Essentially they will perform as if submerged in water, for all intents and purposes, only with much higher gravity. You'll want to be hovering as you enter and slowly release the choke to let it guide you down."

"And you've never done this before?" she looked at him skeptically.

"No, not something I believe I'd want to repeat if I had. But I've done my research, so as long as your equipment is in order…"

"Never anything less. My equipment is my livelihood."

"Well then, ready when you are."

"Alright Tenks, when you get the signal, lower the crate."

They each activated their packs, hovering less than half a meter off the ground, and navigated over the strange liquid. As soon as they were over it, they began to descend rather quickly, which they compensated for by turning the repulsors up on their packs. The liquid was very cold, as expected from the climate, but grew warmer as they descended. It felt wet but did not seem to penetrate as normal water.

Though it was crystal clear, they could not yet see the bottom, and there was no flora or fauna to be found. Just as Eda began to wonder if they had brought enough oxygen, suddenly they were out of the liquid and in a dark, muggy cavern.

They had to light it to see, and when she looked up, she could see the liquid above them, suspended in mid-air. She reached to pull down her breath mask to allow her jaw to drop fully, but Tratzel put a hand on hers.

"You'll need that. The air is very thick down here. Oh and you may, ah, give the signal when ready."

"But where is this stockpile you're talking about?"

He motioned and there, lining the cavern wall, were an assortment of boxes of different styles, sizes and shapes. She hurried to them and pulled off one of the lids, and couldn't believe her eyes: Durindfire gems, Adegan crystals, and precious metals of every kind imaginable!

"By the Celestials! But how-?" she was speechless. She opened another box, and more precious stones and metals, some types of which she'd never seen before. Even if every other box were empty, they would be set for ten lifetimes. She couldn't stop staring, touching the gems and crystals, to make sure they were really there, to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She dug in and let them fall through her fingers, entranced. Still unable to take her eyes off them, she finally said, "Okay, you have to tell me how you knew about this place!"

Just then, she heard a _SNAP-HISS VWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM_. She started to turn around, to see what the strange sound was, but it was too late. She was already dead.

* * *

**ACT**

**ONE:**

**Dark Shroud**

* * *

It has been nearly 5 millennia since the Galactic Civil War, the Rebellion against the Empire, the death of Emperor Palpatine and the founding of the New Republic, now known only as the Republic.

The Republic has gone through many regime changes, some for the better, some for the worse, but has remained intact for the most part, much due to the groundwork and standards set down by the leaders and key players in the former rebellion, including Mon Mothma, Garm Bel Iblis and Leia Organa Solo, and the new line of Jedi began by Luke Skywalker and carried on down his and his sister's bloodline and expanded to new levels in both greatness and sheer numbers.

The Jedi now total over 1 million, and are dispersed throughout the galaxy, now having a seat in the Galactic Senate but operating independently with the blessings of both the Senate and the people.

The Sith have not been seen or heard from in millennia, yet the Jedi remain watchful. Corruption has always been present but has become harder to conceal with the watchful eye of the Jedi ever present.

The Jedi Academy still stands on Yavin 4, the temple on Coruscant has been rebuilt, and new temples have been built on other worlds, each with its own Jedi academy tightly monitored by descendants of the New Jedi Order began with Skywalker, upholding those values and structures.

However, in an ever-expanding galaxy, even the Jedi require assistance in keeping crime and corruption in check. With organized crime still running rampant, the Republic has set up its own highly trained task force, known as the Galactic Peacekeepers, to aid the Jedi so they may focus more on the larger issues.

The system appears to work, but it lies in a very delicate balance. Recently, the Peacekeepers have been getting a lot of bad publicity, the first being a very high-profile court case involving excessive force on their part. This resulted in a very expensive lawsuit for which the Republic had to pay. Yet this has not been the only such case. In addition, some Peacekeepers have been committing public acts of violence, evoking a sense of fear in some citizens for the very force that was sworn to protect them.

The Jedi who always work cooperatively and closely with the Peacekeepers, stand behind them in the blowback of these recent events, yet their influence can only go so far.

The Republic has already had to cut funding on the force due to the increased legal expenses, leading to mass layoffs. More bounty hunters are emerging due to the increase in demand, yet the Jedi feel the situation will grow worse before it gets better…

* * *

**-1-**

* * *

Eulian Tratzel piloted the light freighter as if he were born in the cockpit, transporting the large crate now packed with the contents of the many boxes of metal and stones from the underwater cavern.

The bodies of Tenks Gilspar and Eda Lundrern lay on the cavern floor, along with the remainder of the supplies, including the crates they were stored in. There was no visible evidence that anyone had been on the planet Vildimar recently, or ever, for that matter.

Not that it was a concern, as the planet remained uncharted -he'd seen to this personally- but a smart businessman ties up all loose ends. And this was business.

He probably could have managed this particular deal on his own if he'd needed, but the convenience of having a trained two-person crew with a ship and supplies all in one package was worth the little extra liability. Not to mention he had not killed anyone in a very long time. He had made sure not to reveal even the smallest clue regarding the location before setting off with the two, and during the trip he had made sure there was nothing said on com that could leave a trail of any kind. Eda had unwittingly answered an incoming transmission before he could politely terminate it, even after he had specifically warned her about that beforehand. She'd said nothing more than "_This is Oh-Four-Oh-Nine-Three-_" before he could cut it off.

It was a conditioned response, he understood. There was always the slightest chance the response had been traced. He was easily able to trace the transmission's origin. He would probably have to kill them, too. This was how smart businessmen tied up loose ends. With finality.

This was the businessman side of Eulian Tratzel. The side that knew he would now have to visit the series of appraisers he had lined up for the various stones and metals, then take them in smaller lots to the even more extensive list of dealers he also had on the wait, and finally deposit the newly acquired credits into the series of accounts he had already opened under different identities with large banks and holding corporations. The side of him that knew any being found with this amount of credits would likely turn up dead or at the very least under serious investigation, even if that being happened to be the last remaining heir to one of the largest technological dynasties in the known galaxy.

He was not worried about turning up dead, for many reasons, but the businessman side of him told him it would be very undesirable to have any investigation launched against him. The businessman side of him served him well. But he had another side.

Darth Sceptaurus was, at least in his own mind, one of the most powerful and brilliant Sith Lords ever. He may not have been as strong in the dark side as Darth Sidious, or as wise as Darth Plagueius, but he used what he had, and what he had was the knowledge left behind by generations upon generations of great Sith lords, within holocrons, within documents, some within the Jedi temples themselves, some in hidden locations across the galaxy, whereabouts of which were known only to a very select few beings, ever.

He also had the benefit of being part of a Sith revival thousands of years in the making. After Bane's line died out, it took awhile for the essence of the Sith to reintegrate itself into the known galaxy.

It takes more than a fallen Jedi, more than a dark force user to make a true Sith Lord. It takes the knowledge of whom the Sith actually were, and a true understanding of the mindset of a Sith Lord and how they view the Force: not with reverence and surrender, but contempt, like a beaten vornskr showing its belly in complete submission.

One has to be the master of the Force in order to bend it to his will, rather than allow the Force to guide his or her actions. It was only a matter of sheer luck that he happened to be the first apprentice who gained access to certain Sith secrets who also possessed both the power and ability to unlock these secrets and the understanding of what this knowledge could actually turn into and how it could be used. Which was why he also had all the time in the galaxy to carry out his plan, once he knew what it was.

It involved slightly bending the rule of two, which had already been done, of course, but not like this. He'd found most Sith lords to be too impatient to obtain the power coming to them. Once he had killed his own master, he did not rush to find an apprentice.

This could have put the new Sith line in immediate jeopardy, but so could having more than one Sith lord anywhere together at one time.

Now with the remainder of his life to devote to study, he applied techniques believed to be discovered by Darth Plagueius in conceiving and prolonging life through manipulation of the midi-chlorians, in conjunction with a rediscovered ancient ability of transferring consciousness from one body to another.

Many times he came dangerously close to losing himself in another dimension of space-time altogether, but finally he'd succeeded: he'd conceived life, in essence impregnating a being through immaculate conception, while simultaneously transferring his essence to the unborn. This allowed him a fresh, non-resistant, midi-chlorian-rich vessel to imbue with his thoughts and memories.

It also gave him the freedom to choose the particulars, like race, for instance Trandoshan, Quarrren, Wookie, Devaronian, Bothan, human –he'd been all at least once, though he preferred the latter – and even social standing, so he could become, say, heir to one of the largest technological dynasties in the known galaxy. In that case it was a simple task of making sure he was the last one surviving.

Now, there were a few things to be wary of. He needed a strong, healthy carrier, to ensure the pregnancy would go full term. With every transition, there was an adjustment period in regaining his ability to manipulate the Force from this new body, so if something should go wrong in the early stages of a pregnancy, he may be powerless to find another shell before perishing with it. Being a midi-chlorian rich being enhanced the survival rate significantly, in any case. He also had to weigh the chances of the host choosing to carry the pregnancy full term.

In one case, with a Nikto, the mother had chosen to end the pregnancy after five months, and it was only through powerful force suggestion that he had willed her to carry him full term. He had ended up killing her for the trouble years later.

Another factor was that, especially among the average, everyday being, immaculate conception tends to draw a lot of attention, no doubt from the Jedi especially were they ever to hear of one of these cases. And when you're a Sith lord, maintaining a low profile is imperative.

So it was always best to select a host with an active partner. Now, naturally another thing to consider, regarding the Jedi, was the chance that he may be sent to the Jedi temple for training upon being discovered as an individual strong in the Force. This had worked to his advantage in some cases, but made leading his secret life rather difficult.

He had found that he'd preferred to mask his Force presence to avoid detection from those he'd rather avoid for the most part.

All these things being taken into account, it still would have been a terrifying experience for a normal being, living and growing helplessly in a womb while having the consciousness, memories and understanding of an adult, but Sith have no fear, only control. It was interesting, at first, living with the mind of an adult, particularly one strong in the Force, yet being in the body of a youngling. It gave him every advantage over his peers, as well as anyone else he came into contact with, and complete and utter freedom to shape his life any way he saw fit.

Naturally, he had to take care not to make his influence too obvious, but he had been practicing this skill since his first lifetime.

After living so many lifetimes over the course of nearly two millennia, one thing he had managed to do was accumulate immeasurable wealth. He couldn't just open an account as one being and expect to easily gain access to it as the next, which was the reason he'd learned how to invest in precious stones and metals, the best places to buy them or obtain them, and the best places to hide them, so that he may come back to reclaim them. It had required a significant investment to secure this ideal hiding spot, ensuring the "disappearance" of the uninhabited world Vildimar on all the space charts, but well worth the credits.

After all, the businessman side of him knew you have to spend credits to make credits. And he would need credits to carry out his plan, many lifetimes in the making.

In addition to his 'legitimate' corporation, he had also wrested control of one of the emerging powers in organized crime, in its early stages, and created a presence within it that called all the shots, sight unseen, growing it into a vast empire on the verge of a total takeover, waiting for him to step forward as his true identity and give it the push it needed to be on top and eliminate the competition. Either of these empires would be enough for any man, but he was Sith by heart, and had even grander plans, for which these both played critical roles.

Being the sole Sith lord in the galaxy was his preferred way, for the most part. His businessman side also told him that having an apprentice at certain phases of his plan would only be one more liability, rather than an asset. When you have an apprentice, you have to give that apprentice a sense of purpose, a mission, or they quickly become impatient and begin plotting against you, as is the way of the Sith. There were a lot of details involved in setting his plan into motion that could be handled with the help of ordinary beings. When he needed an extraordinary being, he would find one, which he had already done.

* * *

Has Bin Trel owned a small café on Fi'ar'la, a medium sized sentient world and site of one of the most recently built Jedi academies. He enjoyed business from a diverse set of customers, from the native Fi'ar'ii, a quadruped-humanoid race with large eyes and noses, covered with a dense fur, to the traveling business personnel from various worlds, and of course the occasional Jedi.

One such Jedi sat in a solitary booth near the corner and sipped on kle'stu'vas, a house variation of a native broth brewed from a mixture of herbs and spices commonly found on the planet, with a little added something that made it Trel's own, the name of which he refused to divulge to any party. It was his most popular item, not only with the natives but those who made it a point to stop on world whenever their travels took them within the vicinity.

The Jedi was a young human of only nineteen standard years, with his dirty blonde hair cropped short save for a long braid in back, the designation of the Jedi Padawan. Another human, a female about his age, approached his booth, and when he looked up to regard her, he couldn't help but notice that she was very attractive.

"Do you mind if I share this booth, sir, all the tables are taken?"

She had long, dark hair, bright green eyes and wore casual attire, probably a student, as she definitely wasn't a native or a Jedi Padawan.

"Uh, sure-," he rose from his seat and motioned to the one across from him, offering a slight bow of his head.

When the waiter came, she ordered the same thing as him, and appeared pre-occupied with a reader she held. She saw him glancing over and smiled at him.

"I'm sorry, just trying to catch up on my studies. I didn't want to bother you…"

"Oh, it's no bother. You're a student?"

"Yes, Forestry and Botany - boring stuff, I know. I'm Nea, by the way," she held out her hand, "and you're… a Jedi, right?"

He took her hand. "Padawan, actually. You can call me Vhinh, though. Vhinh Skywalker."

She raised her eyebrows and cocked her head forward, obviously interested. "Of theSkywalker lineage?"

"Yes, one of many."

"Many… lines…?" she inquired, unsure.

"No, sorry. Only one of those that I know of, I meant that there are many of us, many descendants."

"Oh, of course, my fault. So, are you all Jedi?"

"No, some are, though. Others just live normal lives like you. Well, try to, I guess. I guarantee they won't be allowed near any Sabaac table," he joked.

"Oh," she laughed out loud, catching the attention of a few of the other patrons. Now it was his turn to raise his eyebrows. "I'm sorry, but you're funny. I didn't think Jedi had a sense of humor."

"I think allowing all your senses to be enhanced would naturally improve that sense as well, wouldn't you think? In fact, if I truly used the Force I could probably have you rolling on the floor laughing," he said, grinning.

"Stop!" she said, trying to control her giggling. He didn't think it was that funny, but enjoyed the sentiment, and he had to admit he liked her smile. It made him smile back. _Okay, don't let your thoughts wander in that direction. You're on the verge of your trials_, he reminded himself.

Before he could attempt to excuse himself gracefully, she engaged him again. "So why did you decide to become a Jedi, then? Or did you have a say in it?"

"No, I wanted to. Some don't get a choice if they're really young, and that used to be the only way, but now the parents have more say in it, and the child in some cases, it just depends. I guess I heard stories from the time I could remember, and just had this feeling, you know, like I belonged to it."

"Wow, maybe it was really meant to be, then. So how old were you?" she probed.

"I was six. My parents wanted to wait until I decided for myself rather than pushing me into it. I don't regret it, though."

"You had to give up a lot, though, didn't you? Like having a normal childhood?"

"I don't know, I mean, I lived in a mixed sector with younglings of different ages. I remember wanting to play with toy lightsabers while the others were organizing flakball teams," he rolled his eyes slightly. "I bet none of them could catch me now!"

She smiled a closed-mouth smile. "You have a little streak of arrogance, don't you, Jedi - sorry, Padawan. You better watch out!" she teased, smiling playfully.

"No, seriously, though, I try to keep all that in check. I mean, I'm aware of my feelings, but it's my training that has always taught me how to handle them… I think to be a truly great Jedi you have to allow yourself to accept your faults; otherwise you won't strive to improve on them."

"Well, I'm impressed. So is that what you hope to be, a great Jedi like your ancestors?"

"You know, I've thought about that, and I realize that as great as, say, Luke Skywalker was, possibly still unsurpassed, he had flaws, too, and he never would have been the Jedi he became had it not been for those who influenced him, like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, even his father in the end,"

A brief wave of something flashed on her face just then, but only for a split second, and he wasn't sure what it was. "What I mean is, there are lessons to be learned everywhere, so short answer, no, I wouldn't want to emulate Luke Skywalker, Ben Skywalker, Jaina or Anakin Solo, but would take what I could learn from them, as well as many other great Jedi throughout the ages."

"I think you're going to be an amazing Jedi someday and I just met you!"

"Well, thanks, I guess. Hey, you know I could even learn some things from you," he smirked. _That's enough_!

"Oh..." she smiled mischievously. "Like what?"

"Well, like about Forestry and Botany. What made you decide to get into those?" _We're just talking._

She almost seemed disappointed to change the subject. "Well, my mother was an environmentalist, lobbying to save exotic forests and jungles in various outer rim worlds. You know, there's still corruption in the Republic, there probably always will be. So many times she gained supporters, but these big corporations always got their way, with their spaceports, factories and office plazas. Whenever you have credits, there's always a means. Anyway, I thought if I could learn about all these flora and ecosystems I could recreate them somewhere else, somewhere safe… if there is such a place, but in essence preserving them so they're not lost to the ages. Kind of a lost cause maybe, but I'm halfway through school and I have to at least try to see it through."

"Wow. I think it's great what you're trying to do. You know, maybe if there were more politicians who thought that way, it would help. In any case-" his eyes passed upon the wall chrono. "Uh oh, I need to get back." He wasn't lying. "Master Ytalha will never let me hear the end-"

"Oh-" she started, a plain look of disappointment on her face. "Well, um, will I see you again? I mean, just to talk, you know, we were having such a nice conversation!"

_No, you won't. Now say goodbye and return to your duty_. "Uh, yeah, probably, I come here a lot," he tilted his head with a pondering look. "Hey, why haven't I seen you before? You said you were a student here."

"Yeah, I just transferred. It's part of the curriculum, studying different ecosystems up close. I'll be here for awhile, though, hopefully," she gave a friendly smile.

"Okay, well, I'll, uh, see you later then. It was nice meeting you, Nea."

"You too, Vhinh. Good luck with your training."

"And you with your studies"

He rushed out of the café, passing a Luktorrian couple that argued with the owner over an insect they had allegedly found in their broth.

"We don't even _have_ those on this world!" he could hear Has Bin protest as he exited.

* * *

It was night over Bitris, a city on the Outer Rim world known as Hastaar. A sparsely populated, mostly industrial city, its main exports were duracrete mix and other raw building materials. It was a quiet night, the large machinery powered down and the workers gone back to their homes. In fact, the only industrial building with any activity at this hour was a factory that made prefabricated durasteel components.

Lewdo Rexil was the owner of the factory, and tonight he had a very important meeting. So important that he had brought all of his most trusted associates. They were meeting with a rival company to discuss unsavory business practices. Rexil, a Muun, led a group of fifteen beings, some Duros, some human, and a few Rhodian. The other group, composed mostly of Devaronians and a few Barabel, approached. As the two groups drew together, the tension grew thick. Finally, Rexil broke the silence.

"Greetings, Beltrus, and thank you for meeting with me on such short notice."

The leader of the Devaronian group, also a Devaronian, bowed his head. "It is my honor, Lewdo. So why did you call this meeting?"

"I'll not waste more of your time than necessary. My nephew, Antos, has been murdered, and we found this near the body." He held out a small coin to Beltrus, which he took and examined. It was a credit chip from the Captain Claw casino on Barabel, owned and operated by Beltrus himself and known to be frequented by that particular Devaronian group.

"So I see. Are you implying Ilbringii involvement?" His eyes widened and his brow furrowed ever so slightly.

"I'm not implying anything, Beltrus. We're reasonable beings, so let us forego the pretense. Are you denying responsibility?"

"Clearly I am, Lewdo. I'm sorry for your loss, I am. But if I had wished you harm you would probably not be here right now." Just then over a dozen blasters were drawn on each side. Without so much as blinking, Beltrus continued, "I only mean that I prefer the direct approach over these games, Lewdo."

"The death of my beloved nephew is not my idea of a game. And I know you've had your eye on my hotels on Gamorr, but I keep refusing to sell. They would compliment your casino perfectly, wouldn't they? Within an hour's jump away, and the Barab 1 landowners have denied you the construction permits, I hear."

"Which I'm sure you had nothing to do with, Lewdo."

"And so we've established a motive…"

"Spare me. Ylesia will do just fine for my purposes."

"Ha! No one wants to stay on Ylesia!"

"You taunt me, Lewdo. Perhaps your nephew was an inside job."

"As you said, if I wished you harm you'd be dead already, and I don't need to come up with a reason, I already have plenty."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

"Perhaps another time. I'm walking away intact from this one, unlike my nephew, may he join the Force. But I would watch my back if I were you, Beltrus."

"You mean like your nephew did?"

He raised a finger to stress his next point. "If you _ever_ so much as mention him again, on my honor you are dead where you stand, with or without your gang."

"Fair enough. But watch your back as well, Lewdo. I don't take threats lightly."

Just as the two groups prepared to diverge, there was a metallic clink of something hitting the floor between them. "_What the frag_?!" One of the heavies exclaimed.

Several sets of eyes turned to see a thermal detonator, warbling to a rest at the spot of the sound. Following the path of trajectory up to the ceiling, a void where a transparisteel skylight was missing revealed a dark-garbed figure, looking down on them. But before any of them could even guess as to the figure's identity, much less try to run, there was a massive explosion, engulfing the high-ceilinged room in a firestorm, sending bodies and body parts flying away from the epicenter of the blast.

Heavy smoke filled the room, and when it finally began to clear it was evident there may not be survivors. Those not completely ripped apart were charred black and lay motionless on the floor, some still burning and emitting thick, dark smoke. Lewdo Rexil, blackened and missing his lower half, somehow managed to look up enough to get another glimpse of the figure. He recognized it now as one of Kitzelii's hands, a Trandoshan. The Trandoshan held a blaster, and upon seeing him shift slightly, directed it at him.

There was no need, though, and as Lewdo was thinking about how futile this whole meeting had been, his eyes grew heavy and he faded away.

* * *

Notes: Thanks for taking the time to read my work! I will be updating once or twice a week with a new chapter, so keep checking back. If you took the time to read, please write a short review, good or bad - anything helps.

Star Wars characters and concepts are the property of Lucasfilm, Ltd. and are used for creative purposes only. All original characters are the creation of Tony Mancosu. Cover art by Tony Mancosu.


	2. Chapter 2

**-2-**

* * *

"If you cannot master your schedule, how can you master yourself, padawan?" Jedi Master Sae Ytalha reprimanded Vhinh after showing up ten minutes late for their sparring session.

He knew better than to try to answer his master's rhetorical questions. "I have no excuse, Master. It won't happen again."

"Timing is critical, young one, and may be the difference between life and death." Without warning, he summoned his lightsaber to his right hand, ignited it and swung with a sideways strike towards Vhinh's midsection, all within a split second. Vhinh was barely able to dodge the strike in time, and upon getting his footing, activated his own weapon, holding it at the ready.

"With all the greatest respect, Master… are you _crazy_?"

"We have to make up for lost time! And I trust my young apprentice knows how to handle himself in a battle." He came at Vhinh with two overhand strikes, one to each side, then immediately spun around and dropped down for a backhanded slice at waist level, all of which Vhinh blocked with ease.

"But that wasn't battle, that was an ambush, Master!" Vhinh leapt off the ground, swinging once in mid-air, did a full flip over Ytalha's head to land behind him, and came with a decapitating strike, while Ytalha parried both with little to no movement at all.

"A Jedi must always be prepared for anything, my friend."

Sae Ytalha was an older Bothan, past middle age, with tightly braided greying hair and a long, full grey beard. He was a gruff, yet wise, though sometimes unconventional, teacher, and Vhinh owed his very life to him. From the time Vhinh was six standard years old and had first come to the Jedi Academy, Master Ytalha had taken him under his wing.

The two sparred for over an hour, Vhinh never quite getting the best of his Master. Ytalha, on the other hand, had gotten through Skywalker's defenses more than once, and each time stopped less than a centimeter short of deadly contact.

"Your skills improve, but you still have much to learn," Master Ytalha began as they each switched off their lightsabers. "Remember, there is no set plan of attack; the Force moves in all directions. Be mindful of it and you will always be given an opening."

"Thank you, Master, I'll try to keep that in mind," Vhinh said, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

"You are nearly ready for the trials, Padawan. You will need to utilize all the skills and knowledge you have learned up to this point. We will meet later for another session, but in the meantime, I suggest some deep meditation. Have you been studying the archives?"

"Yes, Master, but there is so much… might you offer guidance as to where best to place my focus?"

"Seek subject matter you know little of, in order to expand your horizons. Yet overlook nothing. Some of the best lessons are found not in what is said, but how it is said. Many great masters have contributed to these archives, and by truly absorbing their words one can gain insight into the Jedi mind behind them. Remember, knowledge is everywhere, as it comes from within."

Vhinh found it slightly amusing that sometimes his master could say so much, yet never really answer his question. He had to keep reminding himself that sometimes, as he'd been taught, interpretation was the difference between knowledge gained and knowledge lost.

"Thank you, Master. I'll meditate on that as well."

"We meet back here at nineteen hundred hours, Padawan. _Don't _be late."

"I won't, Master."

* * *

Ihtor Hyubis was lounging in his penthouse suite on Clak'dor VII when an incoming transmission on his holoreceiver broke his half-sleep. Throwing on a towel to be somewhat presentable, he picked up the transmission to see a ghostly image of none other than Zabra the Hutt, transmitting from Pzob. "Zabra, could this wait?" was his greeting, in Huttese, as he stifled a yawn.

"I am afraid not, Ihtor, and I very much doubt you have more pressing matters to contend with at the moment."

"I was… entertaining, Zabra."

"We have affairs we need to discuss, so please help my mind rest at ease and humor me."

"What affairs?"

"Our factions are warring again. The Kitzeliis took out the Ilbringii and Rexil elders."

"My, formidable crowd, they are. How did they manage that?" Ihtor asked, obviously amused.

"Apparently with one Trandoshan and a thermal detonator."

"Very impressive," his one large eye widened, and he was now fully awake. Being of a violent species like the Abyssians himself, Ihtor had a high degree of respect for acts of this nature.

"Resourceful, too. A suicide mission?"

"No, the one claiming responsibility lives."

"I should like to speak with this Trandoshan. Perhaps the Kitzeliis could handle a larger territory."

"Ihtor, you fail to see the point. These are our own people fighting against each other over territory that is already ours, when they should be helping us expand for a larger payoff. And it does not stop. Our once great empire is in danger of collapsing from the inside. We are stretched thin already. We cannot afford to keep paying to train more hands, only to have them fight over the very same things. We wanted to restore this empire to its former glory, if you remember."

"Then what do you see as the problem, Zabra? We have to stay cost effective, which means we can't offer higher pay as an incentive to keep them satisfied, and we can't afford to keep hiring more employees, if the ones we have don't 'work out'. It has just become much more difficult to run a successful criminal empire in this day and age. It's a sign of the times."

"A sign of the times, Ihtor? Then how are the Tekdaemons flourishing? They have already taken control of many of our own systems, and we are slowly being backed into a corner. The Hutts have not experienced this much opposition since the days of the Black Sun. I don't see it ending well. Our empire is dwindling, and they are emerging as the new galactic power. Soon we will be at their feet begging for the scraps they decide to throw us. That is if they decide to keep us around that long… "

"You and I are still untouchable, Zabra. If the Tekdaemons wanted us eliminated, they would have tried by now, and a massive war between syndicates is in no one's best interests. Besides, a little healthy competition is always good, correct?"

"Only if you stand a chance, my friend. Are you content to do nothing? Wait for the inevitable."

"I don't have all the answers, Zabra. But I do see the obvious, which is that the next move is in the hands of the Tekdaemons. If you wish, we can have the Kitzeliis eliminated. Send a message to the others that no territory changes hands without our say."

"That is a given. Yet I fear our words are having less impact than we'd like. Well, I digress… As usual, you have a point, my friend, and I thank you for your guidance."

"As always, Zabra. We still have some fight left, friend, and remember, with the current political climate, there may be more opportunities in the near future. We may see a new heyday for organized crime within our lifetime."

"Your words comfort me. We'll speak again soon."

* * *

Yesterday had been an intense day of mental and physical training for Vhinh, which would have made it just like any other day, except for the fact that he had pushed himself even harder than usual. Mostly due to the fact that he knew he needed to prepare for the trials. And partly, though he might not even be able to admit it to himself, whether he was fully aware of it or not, due to the fact that he somehow knew he would end up back at Trel's café today. But why shouldn't he? He did come here rather regularly, and after all did enjoy the broth, along with a couple other dishes.

No, he couldn't lie to himself, not that blatantly. He may just have the slightest bit of curiosity about if she would be there again. There was nothing wrong with that, right? They had just talked, and that's all they would do if he saw her again, if that.

Maybe there wouldn't really be anything to talk about, and it would just be one of those awkward silences, until someone thought of a reason why they absolutely had to be somewhere else at that particular time.

_Or _– and to rule this out would be irresponsible, especially for a Jedi Padawan – maybe the underlying feeling that he was doing something wrong had made talking to that girl, Nea. He couldn't deny her name had been stuck in his head, more exciting. If this was the case, these were dangerous thoughts, indeed.

A Jedi must learn to let go of his fear, lest it become the gateway leading down the dark path. So it would be the right thing to do to confront the situation head on, with a clear mind, with no fear or reservations, and prove that he can handle a conversation with a member of the opposite sex, albeit a striking one, and sustain his best judgment without succumbing to human weakness.

Put that way, it definitely seemed like the most logical choice, and he had no more time to deliberate, because he'd made up his mind, and, in fact, while he was immersed in this process, his body had managed to carry him to the very scene of his moral dilemma.

Trel's wasn't as busy as the day before, which, he mused, would mean there'd really be no excuse for them to _have _to sit together this time. He found his way to his regular table and, deciding to go with something different this time, ordered the Xabac wings. Xabac were a small airborne reptile native to Fi'ar'la, though common on other worlds as well. The wings were seasoned and heated over an open flame. They weren't as good as the broth, at least he didn't think so, but it was nice to have a little variety. _Don't want her to think I'm boring – STOP!_

His meal came, and he took his time and savored it. The café started getting more crowded, and in fact a Fi'ar'ii had asked if the seat across from him was available. He'd lied – _was it a lie? It had better not be; that wouldn't be very Jedi-like either. Let's be honest here, we have to stay true to our intentions –_ and told them he was saving it for someone.

That someone wasn't showing up, though, and to wait around any longer would be, not only misguided, but, - _let's face it – _perhaps slightly pathetic. _You just met this girl; it doesn't even make sense why you're letting her consume so much of your thoughts. You have important things to think about, like your duty, and like the trials. Maybe after you've been knighted, you can meet a nice woman someday and do it by the code._

The Jedi guidelines for personal relationships had been both revised and rewritten, even forgotten at one time or other, beginning sometime after the great Jedi Purge of Palpatine's era. It had been decided, at some point, possibly in order to carry on the very bloodline Vhinh himself was born of, that marriage might again be allowed within the Jedi Order.

However, care was taken to prevent the ramifications that could arise from these types of relationships. At present, the guidelines were as follows:

One had to be a dedicated knight for at least one year after completing their trials and deemed emotionally fit to enter into a non-platonic relationship by the council.

Once given blessing for courtship, the chosen partner had to be brought before the council, at which time the council could deny blessing – this was rarely done, as the council believed in honoring a Jedi's choice in a partner – but kept as a stipulation should the council truly sense a significant danger in the proposed relationship, either to the Jedi, the chosen, or one of even greater magnitude;

The couple were forbidden from living together during the courtship, and required to spend an entire month without contact two times per standard year, in order that, one, the Jedi may retain his or her focus on their duty and, two, to acclimate the couple to separation, should the relationship end, or, always an eventuality, should one of the partners die;

After a three year courtship, the Jedi and his or her chosen may decide to marry in a ceremony before the Jedi Council, officiated by the head of the council, where both partners were sworn not only to honor and respect each other but also the Jedi Code, and to accept loss and reject attachment;

The couple was permitted to live together within this union, but must continue to spend one month apart without contact each standard year.

Jedi Padawans were forbidden from entering into personal relationships, as they still had much to learn about the Force and control over their own mind and body.

The last guideline was the one Vhinh was struggling with, and as he contemplated the why's and how's of Jedi doctrines, his eye caught a flash of familiarity.

This time she didn't come to his booth, though, but instead stood at the front counter and ordered. He thought it possible that she didn't see him, or maybe she was actually in a hurry, as her abrupt stride had suggested. Or maybe she was giving him the polite brush-off. There were a thousand reasons to do so, after all, not the least of which being that she was an incredibly attractive woman who could probably have her pick of the men on this world or most others, he was a Jedi Padawan and, although she might not have the guidelines set so firmly in her head, was probably vaguely aware of the general admonition of Jedi in relationships, or maybe she herself was too busy with her own life goals to become entwined in a relationship, and obviously more wise than him in choosing to avoid that path altogether. He probably could have gone on but he found it rather unpleasant to continue doing so.

_Again with the thoughts! Acting like you've never seen a girl before or something. _He had, of course, but there was something about this one… and he needed to find out what. He had to see it through. _And just remember to keep your senses about you._

Through the Force, he gave her the slightest nudge. _Well, so much for that. _Yes, Master Ytalha would disapprove. Frivolous use of the Force in this way to a Jedi was akin to taking the name of a deity in vain to a religious being. Nevertheless, the nudge had had the desired effect.

Nea turned to look over her left shoulder, and then her right, and, finding no one there, set her gaze further across the room until it found Vhinh, sitting nonchalantly in the corner with a playful grin on his face.

She returned the smile, and he allowed himself in this brief instant to take her in completely, not deny or withhold but embrace his emotions, to try to put a face on this feeling he had. His strength in the Force had enabled him to remember her face perfectly, her presence as if he had never left that booth yesterday, and he was aware this might have enhanced his feelings. But no, there was still that other factor…

That other factor, with her order in a portatainer, made her way back to the booth and stopped before him.

"Hey, Padawan."

"Hi, what brings you here again so soon?" _I sound stupid._

"Actually, just picking up a take-out. I have a lab meeting with one of my professors."

"Oh," he was slightly relieved; _he_ may not have been the reason for her urgency after all. "Well, nice running into you, anyway. I was just on my way out myself." _That wasn't a lie. Good, we're learning._

She paused, thoughtfully. "Hey, listen… I don't know if Jedi are allowed holopads or anything like that, but-"

"They have them in the temple, but only for Jedi business, not really for private use." He wanted so much to tell her, _Yes, I can call you anytime, or you can call me, and we can talk for hours…_

"Aw," she appeared dismayed, "well, maybe we'll run into each other again soon."

"Yeah, absolutely," he gave a half-hearted attempt at a reassuring smile. He made up his mind at that point to open his mouth again, because if he didn't say what he was going to say before his mind had a chance to stop him, he never would. "My rest day is in two days. It's basically, you know, for meditating and stuff, and to get away from my master a little so we don't impale each other with lightsabers."

She gave a hearty laugh. His day was now complete, and his time well spent. Nothing would convince him differently. "Anyway, maybe we could visit one of the local parks, and you could tell me about some of the native plant life, or something."

"That sounds great! Um, are you, sure your master won't mind, or…"

"It's all in the name of study. Jedi have to be very well-rounded in all areas, you know." _You are so full of nerf droppings it's not even funny! _He didn't really expect her to believe this front, and frankly, he didn't care at this point. _Hear me? I just don't care._

"Studying on your day off? I can't imagine!"

"Well, it won't feel like work, I'm sure," he said with that same playful grin.

"It's a date, then, I mean, you know what I mean. Oh, blast, I really have to go. See you in two days, then. _Skywalker_," she paused to accentuate the last word with a plainly flirtatious tone.

"Bye, Nea." He just kept grinning. Until she had left, and he realized he was still grinning at nothing in particular.

He'd established one thing with this little outing. He couldn't explain it, but he wanted to be around her, and he was probably going to do so whether or not he thought he should.

If he could just manage to keep it down to casual, platonic conversation...

Who knows, maybe he could drag it out for another year, after he passed the trials, of course. _Wow. You really _have_ lost it, _that little voice refuted. And it was at that moment that he decided to stop listening to it.

* * *

Jonas Uhara could faintly remember what it was like to breathe. And right now, it seemed like the greatest feeling in the world. Many thoughts were going through his mind at the moment. He had still not been able to contact Eda, and was getting very worried. She'd been his love interest for nearly two standard years now, though she was somewhat of a free spirit and her travels took her away constantly, sometimes for months at a time.

The time they had spent together, though, made it well worth the wait. They hadn't spoken now for over two weeks, due to an argument they'd had over living arrangements. He was getting older and ready to settle down, and had said he could get a job at the local factory, but she wasn't ready to give up her adventurous and way of life.

He'd gone so far as to call her selfish, though in retrospect maybe he was the selfish one, trying to keep her all to himself in a one-dewback town like Nilaris. He'd even gone so far as to accuse her of preferring to spend her time with Tenks, implying more than he should, though he knew better. Their relationship was strictly professional, and she took her work very seriously. He'd wanted to apologize, for everything, and try to win her over again with a special evening he'd planned.

But why had that transmission been cut off? He hoped beyond hope she had just gone out of range, or it had been some other communications difficulty. He wanted so badly to just hold her again, and tell her he'd enjoy any time they spent together, whether a week at a time or even a day.

Presently, though, his concern for himself was growing. He tried to reach out with his hands, pleading, to this human he didn't know, who had pushed his way in as Jonas was returning to his apartment. Why was he doing this? Jonas didn't have much in the way of credits, or anything really worth taking. He also didn't have any enemies that he knew of, as he kept mostly to himself. The room grew blurry, until everything, the holoviewer, the table, couch, chairs, Mow, his pet Felinx who cowered under one of the chairs, the picture of himself and Eda on the wall, the wall itself, all just became one fuzzy dull color, then blackness slowly faded in until it was all he saw. Then he saw nothing.

The Dresselian slumped to the floor, and Eulian Tratzel, Darth Sceptaurus, caught him, easing him slowly down, not out of respect for the dead, but so as not to make any noise and alert the neighbors. Force strangulation was a clean form of execution, leaving no evidence of foul play or mess to clean up, and with no weapons or fingerprints to worry about: silent and efficient.

He'd made sure no one saw him enter the apartment. He'd been watching, waiting for the right time, and had decided that time would be when the door was already open so he wouldn't have to break in.

Withdrawing his holopad, he keyed in a frequency, and, after a few moments, a very statuesque female figure, perhaps about his current age, appeared before him.

"Hello, lover," she said in a slightly raspy voice.

"Hello, my dear. Is everything going according to plan?"

"Better than expected, in fact. I suspect it won't be much longer."

"Excellent. Soon, we shall have our little… family. I'm making preparations, as well. I want you to tell me when everything is in order, and I shall send you a shuttle."

"I can't wait to see what preparations you've made."

"Patience, my dear. You will soon enough, I promise."

With that, he keyed off the holopad, double-checked the body for a pulse, and proceeded to leave the apartment. The Felinx hissed at him as he reached the door, and he was halfway tempted to unite it with its owner. But no, one body is one thing, but two would almost surely lead to an investigation, which his businessman side knew would not be productive. Besides, he knew better than to waste energy on inconsequential things. With any luck, the pitiful thing would starve to death.

As he entered the hallway of the apartment complex, an elderly female Advozse opened her door, locked it behind her and prepared to leave the building. He calmly approached her, receiving a weary look in the process. Waving his hand ever so slightly, he said, evenly, "You never saw anyone here tonight."

"I never saw anyone here tonight," she repeated in monotone.

"You should probably go back inside and go to bed."

"I should probably go back inside and go to bed." And with that, she unlocked the door to her apartment and did just that.

* * *

Notes: Thanks for taking the time to read! Please write a short review, good or bad, it is always appreciated! Keep checking back, more chapters will be up very soon. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy the story so far!

Star Wars names and concepts are owned by Lucasfilm, Ltd. and used for creative purposes only. Original characters are the creation of Tony Mancosu. Cover art by Tony Mancosu.


	3. Chapter 3

**-3-**

* * *

Being a teenager in one of the big political hubs of the galaxy might be okay for some, but not when you're surrounded by the politics- especially if your father happens to be mayor of the particular city that you live in.

Sometimes you have to find distractions, and, unfortunately, for a teenager in one of the big political hubs in the galaxy, sometimes there aren't a lot of good distractions.

At least that's what Karta Oblith told herself. She had a good heart, as her father would surely say, but more than a little bit of a mischievous streak. Karta had managed to keep a clean record, to a point, but her luck had to run out.

Her bosses, having seen her talents, kept putting higher demands on her, and now she had run into a little trouble. She didn't know what else to do, but she knew her father and how much of a pushover he was when it came to her. With his influence, he could surely keep her out of juvenile detention, or worse. And she knew he would if he had any say over it at all, which was a given.

Maybe this was a wake-up call for her. She had been feeling like she'd been getting in over her head for a while now, but she kept getting away with it, and the thrill kept her going.

It all started when she was fourteen and met W'hikk, a guy two grades ahead of her in school.

She was drawn to him because he seemed dangerous- there were rumors that he got jumped into the Fire Fangs- he was tech, and, she couldn't deny he was very cute.

It started out innocently enough, though. They'd hang out after classes, go downtown, to the mall, maybe shoplift an item here or there. And wow, what a rush!

Soon, they started being sneakier, and getting away with more stuff, then more expensive stuff, and before she knew it he was putting demands on her, but backing it all up with promises of ridiculous credits and respect.

Her initiation involved breaking and entering and coming out with credits, jewelry and tech. She pulled it off but almost got caught, which only added to the thrill. They did many more like this, and eventually she moved on to speeders. She didn't even have a license yet. She was good at that, too, until they kept wanting to do more.

Sooner or later she had to slip up. Her bosses knew she had heat on her, but they still expected her to be out moving merchandise. They gave her a few off-planet contacts, said they could keep her busy for a while, but they needed a little more from her here first.

What is it they say about getting greedy? That's what their business was built on, though, so it came as no surprise. Still, she'd learned some useful things in the time she'd put in. She'd had a good run overall- at least she hadn't ended up dead.

It seemed like a good time to cut her losses and throw herself at the mercy of her dad.

It probably wasn't a good idea for her to be at the State Building right now, but she couldn't go home. They knew who she was now, and they would be looking for her.

If she could talk to her dad first maybe she wouldn't even have to be read her rights. Now if she could just find his office… there were official-looking people everywhere, and the occasional Peacekeeper as well. She knew she was on the right floor, so she carefully went down the hall, peeking into each office she passed. When she saw a Peacekeeper down the way heading in her direction, she ducked into the nearest vacant office.

She waited for him to walk past, but then came two more sets of footsteps, and… _oh no_! They were heading right for the office! She quickly ducked behind the desk, not knowing what else to do. The footsteps grew louder, until she could hear two people enter, one male and one female judging from the idle chatter, closing the door behind them.

"Are you sure this is the best place to talk, Mrs. Hynn?" a rich male voice asked.

"Of course, no one uses this office anymore. So what exactly is your offer, Mr. Tratzel?" _Uh-oh_. This probably was not a good place for her to be right now. If she could just stay quiet, maybe they would make it quick.

"More credits than a senator such as yourself could make in two lifetimes, I assure you. Even more if the bill passes."

Ah, yes, the usual bribery and corruption. She was used to this, and honestly couldn't care less, but people tended to be very closed doors about these matters. What on Commenor were the cleaning droids using on these tables? The fumes were becoming overwhelming!

"And what exactly are your interests in the matter? A concerned citizen, I suppose?"

_Please, please, please, just hold it in. This is NOT the time_.

"Only the best intentions, my lady. So shall we-"

"_Ah-CHOO_!"

"What the-"

Rather than try hiding any longer, Karta stood up timidly, a weak smile on her face. The senator, a native Commenorian, looked scolding, and maybe a little embarrassed, but the man- he had the most angry, piercing glare she had ever seen, and for a brief second she could swear she felt a hand around her throat- then it was gone, the glare quickly fading to a more stern, accusing frown.

"I'm really sorry, I was in the wrong office, I was looking for someone-" _Don't tell them who you are. Don't involve your father_- "I didn't, um, hear anything." She tried to look serious, but nonchalant.

The man was about to speak, but the senator quickly put up her hand and spoke, completely calm and collected. "No worries, dear. You didn't hear anything, in fact. Just discussing campaign contributions, I'm sure you're familiar with the concept. We were actually just finishing up. Are we done then?" She looked at the man. _Tratzel, was it?_

"Oh, it's okay, I'll get out of your way. I know it has to be around here somewhere…" She hurriedly rushed past them, purposely trailing off as she did, and just before she shut the door behind her, she caught another glimpse of that face, with that same angry- _no, angry wasn't the word _- venomous, piercing glare.

The new plan was to put as much distance between her and this place as possible and as quickly as possible. She headed down the giant four-story stairway, out the lobby and back into the street.

Still she kept checking for Peacekeepers, but almost wished one would find her. She hurriedly ran a few blocks, checked behind her, and finding no one there, slowed her pace a little.

She went another block then casually dipped between two buildings. No sooner was she off the public street then there were hands on her. _Curse it, I'm busted _was her first thought. But as the figure spun her around and she looked up, she saw it wasn't a Peacekeeper at all. In fact, it looked like a Tekdaemon, with the red-tinted visor and hood over his or her head, and she saw they were definitely armed.

"You shouldn't be listening to peoples' conversations, little girl." This was bad, really bad. Nobody sent the Tekdaemons as a warning.

"You got the wrong girl-" Before she finished speaking, she plunged a vibroblade she kept up her sleeve straight into the Tek's gut, and as soon as their grip loosened for a second, she was gone, not looking back.

She knew she didn't have much of a chance at this point, there would probably be more of them, but she wasn't about to give up that easily. She was so glad she kept that blade on her. She'd never had to use it, but she obviously knew how.

She kept running - she had to keep running. Luckily she had had practice, but her wind would run out soon enough. She had to get somewhere with a lot of citizens, as public as possible.

One thing she knew about the Tekdaemons, they kept a low profile. It was only through word of mouth that most people knew about them, but everyone did, and no one wanted to meet one.

The fact that she worked indirectly for their rival syndicate, well, one of many subsidiaries, at least, probably wasn't even a factor at this point. The Tekdaemons had gotten so big they didn't even seem to care about the Hutts.

_Okay, think, think… can't run forever… can't hide… but…_ The spaceport, it might be the only way. And luckily it wasn't far. She'd flown a few training cruisers, never in hyperspace, but she was smart, and the computer would do the calculations, she'd just have to pick a destination. She'd already spoken with a few of the contacts her bosses had given her, and they'd sounded eager to meet her. Now the trick was getting a vehicle-which happened to be her specialty. And anyway, she couldn't get in more trouble than she was already. She truly had nothing else to lose.

* * *

Tynna, like many of the known worlds in Republic space, had thrived and expanded into a vast metropolis, reminiscent of the earlier days of Coruscant. Today was an especially lively day, particularly in Egris Kal, the new capitol, which was holding a Life Day renewal festival.

Beings from all over the galaxy had come to attend, many putting aside their differences to celebrate the one gift they could all share. Beings of all ages, shapes and sizes strode the open boardwalks, playing games, enjoying cuisine from every culture, and socializing. Bren Hade, a local Peacekeeper, was in attendance as well, as much for the celebration as for a little added security in case something should happen, which it rarely did. Most beings respected the festival- most sentient beings, anyway. Not space slugs. And right now, before his eyes, among the thousands of beings, they were raining down from the sky.

* * *

It seemed to Zig Nimoy like everyone was having a good time, but the Peacekeeper over by the chishlek stand didn't look well. Zig caught sight of him as he visibly jumped, as if startled, then spun around, looking in every direction, staggering. At first he thought it was some kind of show. One of Zig's younglings looked up at him.

"Fadda, what's da matta wif dat Peacekeepa?"

Then the Peacekeeper drew his blaster.

* * *

Bren watched in horror as the slugs landed and began devouring citizens left and right. He could hear nothing but screaming, the boardwalks filling with blood.

He quickly shook off the stupor and grabbed his assault blaster. He couldn't just stand there and let this happen. These bugs would die!

He opened fire, slug blood and guts splattering in every direction, weaving and bobbing around them before they could reach him and taking out more. He would kill them all! How dare they ruin this perfect day!

He just kept firing, firing, firing. The slugs wouldn't stop coming. Using all his training, he was taking down slugs by the hundreds, narrowly evading their gaping maws. He wouldn't stop until they were all dead. His finger never let off the trigger, as he sprayed searing heat in every direction.

Then, they were gone. All of them were just gone.

But the citizens that had been there, they were still there.

Before Bren could come to grips with what he had just done, he heard another blaster shot from above. And then, only silence.

* * *

"What do you mean, you're docking the bounty?!" Nars Free'ta bellowed at the officer behind the desk of the Southern Coruscant Peacekeeper precinct booking area.

The officer, a middle-aged Dug, responded with a bored expression, "He has injuries. We have to provide him with medical attention before we can book him, and who do you suppose pays for that, Mr. Free'ta?"

"Make him pay for it, it wasn't my fault! He jumped off a balcony!"

"He backed into me with his speeder as I was getting out of mine!" the thug retorted, incredulously.

"Maybe you should have stayed in your speeder and come quietly, then!" Nars snapped, irritably.

"You didn't even _see _me! You were too busy messing with the frequency on your tuner! I'm on my way to one of the shops, and here comes this guy- do you even have a license for that thing, cause you sure can't parallel park!"

Nars exhaled sharply, now visibly fuming. "Look, are you gonna believe this scumbag here, or me, who has a proven track record on these streets?!"

The Dug rolled his eyes, hit a few keys on his comp and removed a piece of flimsiplast from the tray, hurriedly jotting his mark near the bottom. "Just sign here if you want to receive the bounty. In any case, he stays."

"This is an outrage! You know, this guy could still be roaming the streets right now."

"Well, let's see, this is a new bounty…" he scanned a file. "Failure to appear in court on charges of nonpayment of traffic violations totaling five-hundred forty-five credits…" he looked at the thug, a Rhodian, then at Nars. "Yeah, he seems like a dangerous one, and right over the five hundred-credit cutoff, which makes it bounty eligible in this system. Of course, once the med-droids get done with him this will end up costing the city twice that, and that's assuming he ever pays his fines. Now please, Mr. Free'ta, just sign, I have work to do."

Nars took the light scribe and forcefully signed the flimsiplast, cursing all the while under his breath.

"Thank you, the credits will be in your account within forty-eight standard hours," the officer said without looking up from his comp.

Nars Free'ta stormed out of the office. Short for a Gran, he wore a black vest over a white tunic and black trousers, with a single bandolier slung across his chest. On his way out, he nearly ran into another bounty hunter, a gruff looking Gamorrean with an eye patch, who was dragging his catch, a kicking and screaming Twi'Lek male, by the head tails with one arm.

Free'ta gave the Gamorrean a cocky nod, and the Gamorrean just grunted and shoved him aside with his free arm.

It was mid-day on Coruscant and the orbital mirrors and defoggers had promised a clear, sunny sky over the vast metropolis. The light reached the mid-level where the precinct sat, and he got into his speeder, a Sorostar P50, an off-brand throwback with a freshly dented rear bumper. He was careful to check around him before pulling out of the docking zone. Making his way to the upper levels, he sighed in resignation as he flipped on the tuner. A _Bith Riot _song played, with the lyrics:

_I wanna go far, far away from everything I know;_

_Hit that hyperdrive and I'll just go, go, go_

He thrummed his hands on the nav console to the beat, reflecting. He kind of felt the same way. Maybe that's what he would do get out of the system for a while. There was enough work in Coruscant and the Core Worlds to keep food on the table, but he needed a little change of scenery.

He pulled into the docking bay area where his ship was stowed, entering credits into a meter for long-term parking. He had enough in his account that he would be all right until this bounty cleared, what was left of it, and then he would see where the galaxy took him.

He paused at the retinal scanner outside docking bay 147 and the overhead gate lifted open to reveal his prized possession: a Duellia 900-Z light cruiser with equipped hyperdrive and rear storage compartment, loaded with extras.

It was a sleek, sporty craft with a mirror polished gold finish and crimson accents. The onboard computer had a personality of its own, including a voice box, and they would frequently bicker back and forth, the computer normally getting the better of him. His only winning argument was to power it down, giving him a smug air of superiority when he needed it.

The ship had originally belonged to one of his quarry. While attempting to make an arrest, he'd discharged his blaster, forgetting to set it to stun, as the subject was wanted alive. No longer resembling that description, the body was taken to an underworld connection he had made, who for a hefty stack of credits had disposed of it and cleared the title of the ship, wiping its memory and resetting the fingerprint recognition.

Nars had taken on a little debt in the process and had had to live meagerly for a while, but the ship gave him a much needed edge that helped him get back on his feet. He wouldn't trade it for anything, though sometimes he'd like to have its memory wiped a second time.

He hit a button on his wrist chrono and a ramp lowered from the ship's belly, leading to the cockpit area. As he stepped aboard, a voice greeted him, mechanical but warm and fluid.

"Welcome back, sir."

"Glad to be back, Nine-Hundred. Run a systems check, we're taking a little vacation."

"Another bad day, sir?"

"No, of course not. I got my man, got credits on the way, couldn't be better."

"You don't have to lie to me, sir. I am only a computer."

"Will you _stop _saying that?" Nars barked.

"It's okay, sir. You can talk to me."

"Listen, don't do this right now, just run the systems check."

"I ran a systems check forty-seven hours ago before powering down, as per your instructions. There has been no new activity in or around the ship, so systems are assumed to be unchanged."

He was getting annoyed. "Will you _just _run another one, or at least pretend to and say you did?"

"Which would you prefer, sir?"

"Just pick one!"

"My random number generator has fallen on the number assigned to pretending to run a systems check, however I regret to inform you that pretending is not in my programming. Would you like me to run the generator again?"

"What _genera_- Urrrrrrr! You're doing this on purpose. Just _never mind_, okay! I need to think."

"In that case would you like me to power down for another forty-seven hours to conserve battery life?"

"Okay, you are coming very close to being disassembled." Nine-Hundred was in one of its moods. Nars knew that this could go on for hours if he didn't assign it some busy work. "Why don't you run a list of bounties in the Colonies region?"

"It was that bad, huh, sir?"

"Nine-Hundred?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Please."

"Yes, sir."

Nars looked at the astrogation chart he kept active and thought of where he might like to go, should he pull in enough credits to get there with his next job. Before he could really decide anything, Nine-Hundred responded to his query.

"There are two hundred forty-seven matches for the Colonies region, sir. Would you like me to select one at random or would you like to narrow the search?"

"Hmmm… random, let's see what we get."

"A mass murderer from the Fondor system, considered armed and extremely dangerous."

"Yikes! Um, any that isn't _extremely _dangerous?"

"Grand larceny from Commenor."

"Grand larceny… what did he steal?"

"She, sir. Karta Oblith, sixteen, wanted for speeder theft, three total, plus one single seat light starcruiser."

"A sixteen-year-old? What's the bounty?"

"Ten thousand credits, sir."

"_Ten thousand_! For someone who'll probably end up on juvenile probation?"

"Apparently her father is the mayor of her city of origin, and has added significantly to the bounty because he wants her back."

"Well, this may be our lucky day, Nine-Hundred! Ten thousand for taking a little girl back to dad. Alright, set course for Commenor."

"Sir, I must stress that the father prefers the girl be returned alive."

"What are you insinuating, Nine-Hundred?"

"Nothing, sir. However, based on your track record there is a chance the girl may not be returned in the desired condition."

"I will return her _alive- AND unharmed_," he added, before Nine-Hundred could put that in. "It's a little girl, how much trouble can she be?"

* * *

Zabra the Hutt lay in his chambers, puffing on his hookah, when an incoming transmission appeared on his holodeck. A hooded figure stood before him. It was a very heavily built male, which was all he could tell as his face was hidden in shadow.

"Who interrupts me, state your name!" Zabra said impatiently.

"Names aren't important, Zabra, only information," the figure said in a booming but unhurriedly precise voice. "The Tekdaemons wish to end the silent dialogue, and propose a contingent truce."

"Contingent on what?" Zabra said, a barely noticeable change in the timber of his voice.

"Soon there will be more than enough opportunities for both of our organizations to thrive. This will be my doing, and I offer you this great opportunity, yet I only ask one thing in return."

"Well, get to the point, then," Zabra was getting anxious, perhaps a little nervous.

"I will need you to create chaos. Complete and utter chaos. Is this something your particular talents can handle?"

"It is definitely one of my strong suits. But you and I know a successful organization cannot run on total chaos. There has to be some order. And what about our friends, the Jedi and the Peacekeepers? There is only so much that can be accomplished with them interfering in our affairs."

"The Peacekeepers will be taken care of. Right now, I need you to make their jobs as difficult as possible. Soon they will not be a factor. As for the Jedi, they will be next. In time they will be so weak they will not be worth mentioning. It will be a new golden age for our kind."

"These are large promises. How do you plan on carrying this out exactly?" Zabra was a little skeptical. "And if we are to be partners, I need a name to go with a face, or, lack thereof."

After a long pause, the hooded figure finally spoke. "Very well, Zabra. You may call me... Darth Sceptaurus."

"A Sith? Is this a joke? They have been dead for millennia!"

"No, not dead, Zabra. Waiting. And now is the time. Do not concern yourself with my methods, but remain open to instruction. Do this, and the vision shall become a reality."

"If I agree to your terms, Sceptaurus, what is to prevent you from turning on me, as is your nature."

"As long as you work with me, as I said, there will be plenty of wealth in this for both of us. Do not cross my borders, and I shall not cross yours. Anything you take will be your own to do with as you see fit."

"I am definitely liking the sound of this, but it remains to be seen if you can really make this happen. Is there anything else?"

"Yes, the bounty hunters. They are key at this phase. We must make them appear successful and trustworthy in the eyes of the public, for the time being. They must have a flair for being in the right place at the right time, if you get my words."

"I think I do, Sceptaurus. Very well, consider us partners. Now I only ask one thing of you. Amaze me."

"You will be amazed, Zabra. You will be very amazed."

* * *

Notes: Thanks again for reading! Please review!

Star Wars names and concepts are owned by Lucasfilm and used for creative purposes only.  
Original names and concepts created by Tony Mancosu. Cover art by Tony Mancosu.


	4. Chapter 4

**-4-**

* * *

Arriving in-system on Commenor, Nars took in the scenery. It appeared to be one large spaceport, lined with shops as far as the eye could see. There were a few hotels, but seemed to be no residential dwellings anywhere in the area of his approach, Delilaj City.

"Hmmm. Well, NineHundred, where do we begin?"

"You don't have a plan, sir?"

"I thought I'd get a look at the layout of the world before I came to that."

"And what have you gathered, sir?"

"I need a plan."

"A good place to start would be to identify the locations of the stolen vehicles and look for a pattern."

"NineHundred, pull up a list of the stolen vehicles."

"Of course. Great idea, sir." It took only a second for NineHundred to process the information. "If you'll turn your eyes to the screen, I've brought up a map to pinpoint the locations."

Nars fixed his eyes on the screen. "They're all within a 50 kilometer radius of this area, which isn't too far from where we are. You said she stole a starfighter, too?"

"Yes, a Kreehtok X-78 light starfighter."

"A Kreehtok? You mean, not just an old salvage, but-"

"Peacekeeper issue, yes, sir."

"This girl _is _crazy! What could she want with a Peacekeeper cruiser in the first place, and _how _could she expect to get away with it?"

"She seems to be managing."

"She may be more of a challenge than I thought. Okay… does it have hyperdrive?"

"Yes, it's standard on all Peacekeeper cruisers."

"Which means she could be light-years away… can we get any specifics on the theft? Who it was stolen from, and how?"

"I can pull up the Peacekeepers report." NineHundred was silent for a second, then the report popped up on the screen. "Bel Hadran, Peacekeepers of Commenor. The incident happened yesterday. The officer had docked at the spaceport for refueling and stepped in to the café. The girl somehow managed to board the ship undetected and bypass the clearance codes."

"But where would she learn how to do that?"

"From a slicer, sir."

"Okay, stupid question. I wonder if her father has any idea what his daughter is up to."

"I can connect you with the mayor's office, sir."

"Why not, it's worth a try."

A translucent image of a female Bith appeared on the holodeck. "Mayor Oblith's office, how may I be of service?"

"Yes, this is, uh, freelance law enforcement agent Nars Free'ta, and I was hoping to get a minute with Mr. Oblith regarding his daughter's, um-"

"Oh, a bounty hunter? We've received two contacts already about the bounty, but I'm sure the mayor would be happy to answer any questions you might have. Let me see if I can schedule a conference. Please hold." The Bith's image was replaced with a flowing starscape background, and music from the Old Commenor Orchestra played. A moment later, a red-skinned humanoid image appeared on the receiver, dressed in regal attire. Bald on top, he had a long moustache and solid black eyes.

"This is Mayor Oblith, and who am I speaking with?"

"Uh, Nars Free'ta, sir."

"Mr. Free'ta, pleased to meet you. How may I help?" He bowed his head slightly and brought his fingertips together. He obviously really wanted his daughter back, making time like this for a bounty hunter.

"Well, sir, I was just wondering if you had any information about your daughter that might tell me, say, what kind of contacts she's been making, and where she might end up."

"Son, I truly wish I knew the half of it. She's been acting very strange lately, not just the normal rebellious teenager. Very secretive, always in a hurry to be somewhere…"

"Sounds like a normal teenager to me," NineHundred put in.

"Shut up, NineHundred."

"Excuse me?" the mayor exclaimed.

"Sorry, not you, sir. My, uh, partner was just-"

"Oh, there are two of you? Good, good, we need all the help we can get to bring my daughter home."

"Yeah, um, so you were saying…"

"Well, I regret that my duties consume a lot of my time, so before I knew there was a problem, I received a transmission from the Peacekeepers of Commenor," he closed his eyes and bowed his head, as if in shame, or mourning, "she was wanted for theft of a speeder just outside the city. They had caught her on security cam and identified her."

"And the other two?"

"Yes, well, apparently the reports matched her description. She must have known she'd been seen, because she didn't hold on to any of the speeders for very long."

"So how do they know it was her that stole the Peacekeeper cruiser?"

"Well, I'm told the Peacekeeper cruisers have a security feature that takes a face scan of anyone entering the vehicle, which is automatically filed in the Peacekeeper record database. It does nothing, really, just a form of insurance if the wrong person should get ahold of one of the vehicles. There is no automatic lockout, because as you can imagine sometimes emergencies arise where another individual may need to pilot the craft. They have her image on record, though, and there is no doubt it is in fact her."

"So, where do you think she might be headed?"

"Oh, I wish I knew. I'm sorry. I know I'm not much help. I only hope she hasn't become involved with one of those street gangs. They're getting worse all the time, and recruiting younger and younger. I only say this because a lot of our stolen vehicle cases in this city are traced back to them."

"What do you know about the gangs in this area?"

"Not a lot. The Peacekeepers would probably be of more help there."

"Do you have any kind of communication records or anything from her?"

"She would have her com on her, most likely, but again, the Peacekeepers may be able to secure the release of Commenor Communications Center records."

"Okay. I guess that's where I'll start, then. Well, thanks for your help, um, Mr. Mayor, sir."

"You're very welcome, son. You seem very nice, not like those other two. I hope you and your partner reach her before they do, I wouldn't want them to frighten the poor girl."

With a nervous laugh, Nars ended the communication. "Well, I guess I should go speak with the Peacekeepers and see what I can find out."

Nars set course for the nearest spaceport, where he'd take a shuttle to the Peacekeepers precinct. He really needed this bounty, and he was determined to find this girl before 'those other two' did, whoever they were. He wanted respect, and he was going to get it. Someday he'd make a name for himself, have a reputation, be feared by criminals and rival bounty hunters alike. He'd be pulling in the credits, be able to get some new equipment, maybe even a second ship– he'd never get rid of NineHundred. Maybe he could get a nice dwelling on some tropical world, meet a nice female…

"Would you like me to switch to autopilot, sir? It may be safer," NineHundred interrupted his thoughts.

"What are you talking about, NineHundred?"

"You were daydreaming again, sir. I can tell because you always get that look in your eyes."

"Shut up, NineHundred."

* * *

It was not long after speaking with Darth Sceptaurus that Zabra received a transmission from Ihtor. He responded, wondering if he should share this new development with his associate. He decided to wait and deliberate on it. Maybe he could use this to his advantage.

"Zabra, are you watching your holodeck?"

"No."

"I thought you might find this amusing. Quick, turn it on!"

As Zabra switched on his holodeck, there was a special news report, talking about some mass shooting.

"One of ours? This isn't our style."

"No," Ihtor said, grinning. "A Peacekeeper!"

Zabra's attention was now fully on the report. "... _with over 200 innocent beings dead, at the Life Day Revival celebration no less, the families of the victims and the entire planet are shocked and mortified that a Peacekeeper would commit such a mindless act of violence on this scale_..."

_Blah, blah, blah_...

"... _but the situation could have been much worse, if Bekdra Hath had not been there, a bounty hunter who fired the shot that took down the attacker_..."

A wide grin spread across Zabra's face. "Ihtor, I think that change you spoke of is beginning to come about."

* * *

Leaving the Commenor Peacekeeper precinct, Nars relished over the fact that no one had known him there, and after mentioning that he'd been there in regard to the mayor's bounty, he actually felt they treated him with something resembling respect.

The captain he'd spoken with had been helpful in obtaining the communications records he'd requested, and told him what he knew of some of the local gangs, which wasn't much. There were the Fire Fangs, who were known to be dealing spice on the streets, and the Yuriza, who the Peacekeepers hated cleaning up after more than anything; every time they got into a scuffle with rival gangs they left injuries, bodies, and massive property damage.

Both gangs had members in and out of the jail, and the ones walking the streets the Peacekeepers either had nothing on, or they kept a very low profile.

They would be hard to track down if it came down to it; most of the time they found you.

The biggest problem was, for every gang member the Peacekeepers apprehended, they could recruit two more, as there was no shortage of teenagers who could be seduced by the lures of a rebellious lifestyle, fast credits, and 'respect' by their peers inspired by fear.

Returning to NineHundred, he downloaded the records into the ship's database.

"How about some music while I think, NineHund-" Before could finish, there was a massive explosion coming from across the way, the shockwaves rocking his entire ship. He couldn't see anything for a minute, and once the dust had cleared, all he could see was billows of smoke and flames coming from a gigantic pile of debris where the precinct had once stood.

"Oh… my…" he paused, unable to find words. "NineHundred, what the- did-did you see what happened?"

"No, sir. The scanners picked up a Peacekeeper entering the building, nothing unusual, then the explosion."

"The whole building is just… gone. What should we do?"

"My guess would be not to stay here, sir."

"Let's go then."

NineHundred's thrusters fired up and the ship headed off-planet. Nars would try and collect his thoughts and have NineHundred look for possible connections in the phone records, while deliberating on his next move.

He was in shock right now, though, and needed a minute for things to sink in. People that he had spoken with only moments ago were now nothing but ashes. What had happened… and would there be more to come?

* * *

Vhinh, in a hurry more and more often lately, finished his early morning meditation, somehow never achieving a full meditative state, and headed out the door of his dorm, racing down the corridor, but stopping as he saw several padawans congregated in the commons area, staring at a holoreceiver. He caught the tail end of the story.

"…again a massive explosion, leveling the Commenor Peacekeeper precinct, with more than 3,000 unaccounted for and presumed dead. This is a horrible tragedy, with causes still yet unknown, but we will keep you posted as investigators are now on the scene…"

He only stood there, in shock. Who would do this? He had never been to Commenor, but he felt a great sadness for the men and women lost there.

He knew the Peacekeepers were highly trained and disciplined, but beyond that he knew they had lives just like him, and many of the Knights he knew had worked closely with them on occasion. He couldn't imagine how their families must be feeling…

Suddenly he was not in such a hurry anymore, he wanted to see his master, make sure he was okay. But he knew he was only reacting to the situation, sympathizing with those affected. Maybe some fresh air and a change of scenery would do him good right now. Feeling more guilt at his rationalizing, he shook his head and slowly strode out the temple entrance, still processing.

As he drew closer to the park, his pace quickened, and when he saw her, he nearly forgot about the horrible events of the day.

"Hey, Padawan," she gave a guarded smile.

"Hey-" he started. She seemed a little less spirited than before. "You, uh, heard?"

"Yeah. I almost wanted to stay in my dorm and just be alone, you know, but I didn't want you to think I was standing you up."

"Oh, I would have been ok, I mean," he knew he wouldn't have, "I would have understood."

"I'm glad I came. I probably needed to get out anyway."

"Well, you still feel like telling me about the local plant life, or…"

"This may sound really lame, but I've been dying to…" she hesitated, then more carefully, "Yeah, I'd like that."

So they walked, she started with the denadae grass they walked on, all the way to the enormous banjii trees towering over their heads, and as they moved on, their pace grew slower and they grew closer, till they joined hands, and eventually sat down by a shebhaa bush.

Sitting cross-legged, facing her, he looked down at the less interesting ground, avoiding her stare. "You know, you make me do and think things that I know I shouldn't, but I don't want to stay away."

"I didn't make you come here, Vhinh," she said.

"I mean… "

"I know what you mean, it's ok. I don't want you to stay away… "He looked up, and her lips touched his, ever so softly, but it sent a tingle through his entire being, and he moved closer to meet her, his senses washing away. _Stop right now!_

"Curse it, I'm supposed to be a Jedi! I, I'm sorry, Nea…" he stood up abruptly.

She stood up with him. "Look, I get it, ok. I really like you, Vhinh, but if this goes against some greater purpose for you, I don't want to be the one to ruin that." Her words almost sounded mocking, but he figured he couldn't blame her with the fickle way he'd been acting.

He stared at her for a long moment, then finally spoke. "What if I don't care if you ruin it? I mean, not actually," again he stumbled. "Part of me wants this, a lot. And the other part does, too, but I feel like I'm doing something really wrong. There are rules…"

"What are the rules, exactly?"

He explained the Jedi Code on personal relationships.

"Well, a lot could change in a year, but I'll still be here," she said. "We can take it slow if you want."

It was only the third time he had seen her, and they were already having this conversation. He almost cringed.

"Let's just not think about it, ok. I'm sorry for bothering you with all this Jedi stuff, that's not why you're here."

"Friends for now?" she offered her hand. He hated hearing her say that word, but he knew it was the right thing.

"Yeah," he took her hand, bowed in an exaggerated way, and gave it a quick mockingly ceremonious peck.

"Although," Her eyes rolled mischievously upward.

"Although, what?"

"You wouldn't be the first Skywalker to bend the rules," she looked at him innocently.

"That's not even funny." He took a more serious expression, but it quickly faded as she gave him a playful push.

"I'm sorry, I know it wasn't." He grabbed her hand and led her on down the path. He didn't want to try to define things anymore, or worry about what lines to cross, he just wanted to follow his heart.

But he was convinced that if he showed enough restraint, he could do it without losing his head. She said she'd still be here in a year. If she really was, she was definitely worth waiting for.

* * *

The following day, Vhinh's elders were concerned with events happening on a larger scale that could potentially affect each and every one of them. A Jedi council meeting had been called, and every council member across the galaxy was in attendance through holo transmission.

Grand Master Aysurii Vilaska, head of the Jedi Council, projecting from Coruscant, was the first to take the floor.

"Greetings fellow Jedi. I have called you all today to discuss matters of grave importance. As you are well aware, the Galactic Peacekeepers have been under ever more scrutiny as time passes, understandably so. It has just come to light that a Peacekeeper was responsible for the explosion at the Commenor Peacekeeper precinct- a suicide bomber.

"We have all held on to the mindset that the Peacekeepers are a necessary element to aid in the upholding of order in our galaxy. No doubt something is not right, and we have dispatched Jedi to the scenes of these incidents to aid in the investigations. We do not believe that the entire Peacekeeper force should be blamed for the actions of a number of renegade officials. However, it is becoming difficult to convince the public of this. There is no denying the facts, which are that each of these incidents has cost the republic millions, if not billions, of credits, both in lawsuits and property damage.

"But that cost is miniscule compared to the lives that have been lost. The public is quickly losing faith in the Peacekeepers, and fear is growing. As a result of these factors, the senate has proposed a bill to cut funding for the Peacekeeper program. At this point, it is hard to say if it will pass, but it is a possibility, and we must prepare for the effects this will have on the state of affairs in the galaxy.

"If the Peacekeepers are eliminated, we would no longer have the benefit of the organization and centralization of a galaxy-wide law enforcement entity. We will need to be even more vigilant, as the galaxy will look to us with even greater need to keep order. I have faith that you all, with the help of your students and knights, will be up to the task if it should come to this. At this point it is only forethought, but I have seen a great change coming about; it is unclear if this is the beginning, and if it will end for the better or for the worse. I open up the floor to any thoughts." She took a seat, and visually scanned the virtual room.

Iydo'r'uk I'llu, a Zabrak, now addressed the council. "With each void, we find something to fill that void. It is as if the Force is self-regulating. I mean not to downplay a serious situation, only to remind us all to maintain a positive outlook on the coming events, even if they do not resolve themselves as soon as we would all like. We continue to recruit Jedi. Peacekeepers that may lose their jobs will seek employment elsewhere. Being as highly trained as they are, they may prove to be some of the best bounty hunters we have seen, and we will gladly benefit from their help if this should come to pass. Of course I only speculate, Master, but I see consolation in these and other possibilities."

Zuma Herrod, an old Trandoshan, now took the floor. "We don't know if we can even trust the Peacekeepers anymore, for one," he put in offhandedly.

"If their program is eliminated, what's to say they'll be any better with lessjurisdiction over them? As Master Vilaska said, we still don't know what is going on with them, but until we do, perhaps the less potential they have for damage, the better. Of course other bounty hunters may emerge from the framework, but they can be an unscrupulous lot to begin with. Now of course, we'd have the galaxy swimming with Jedi if we had our way, but it takes time to find them, time to train them, and of course funding to build new temples and academies. We need to face the facts and not delude ourselves. We are _in the middle _of a bad situation as we speak. Maybe the beginning of a dark time..."

The Zabrak now felt compelled to add to Zuma's words, "Master Herrod, you speak very grimly, perhaps unduly so. Until the Sith should rear their unsightly head again, I believe we are still in an Age of Light. There is nothing the Jedi cannot handle, with the Force as our guide. As long as we remain open..."

Now it was time for Zuma to interrupt Master I'llu. "Don't be foolish, young one. You may choose to believe one way, and I do not condemn you for that, but do not presume to call this reality. Having a false sense of hope will only weaken our senses, and we will need them sharp for the times to come. If my words stir up uneasiness in you- good, so they shall. Remember we have the most important responsibility in the galaxy. Do not _ever _take this lightly."

"Masters, if I may," Xing Pallo, one of the youngest to receive the title of Master, spoke up. "I believe there is value in what both of you say. We cannot let ourselves be caught off-guard; we must remain vigilant as Master Vilaska said. Yet we mustn't let our thoughts stray too close to the darkness - for even thinking in this way can lead us down the wrong path..."

"Bah!" Master Herrod was incredulous. "Take note from an old master, impetuous one. I will _not _change the way I think. It has served me well - gotten me through situations the likes of which you have only read about - I stand by my words, and you would be wise to take heed."

Master Vilaska, not seeing the meeting going very productively, felt it a good time to intervene. "Master Herrod, I'm sure Masters Pallo and I'llu meant no disrespect. You are a wise and respected member of our council, and you have taught us all lessons at one time or another. Some may take a more optimistic approach, and each may have their value, but I do agree we must be prepared for the worst. If I may redirect the conversation slightly, Master Ytalha, I am surprised we have not heard from you. How is young Skywalker doing in his training? Will he be ready for his trials as planned?"

Sae Ytalha seemed almost jarred at this address, as if lost deep in thought elsewhere. "Master, my apologies for my distraction. I will say Skywalker's training is progressing superbly indeed, however..."

Master Vilaska waited during the long pause, showing sudden concern.

"Vhinh's heart is all in it, but his mind may be somewhere else, or vice versa. I've seen a change in him lately, and have seen flashes of something, I cannot be sure what, but it troubles me, these events of late. I do not know if there is a connection, but I feel one could come about. My apologies again, I dislike speaking and saying nothing. I will meditate more on it."

"As will I, Master Ytalha."

* * *

"Greetings again, Zabra," the robed figure now known to Zabra as Darth Sceptaurus addressed him, "have you been following current events?"

Zabra gave a hearty chuckle. "I am very impressed with your work, if it is indeed your doing. You must tell me how you do it."

"Perhaps in time, but right now the plan is still in its early stages. There is too much sensitive information involved, and the plan must not fail, or all will be lost."

"So what is the next step?"

"Begin assembling an army. I need ships, infantry, full assault forces. We will be taking Muunilinst."

Zabra nearly choked on a beetle he'd just shoved down his throat. "Are you insane? What do you expect to accomplish? Even if we can get credits transferred, anything sent will be traced. You don't run the largest banking system in the galaxy without having learned a few things."

Darth Sceptaurus let him finish. _Fool, soon you will no longer be necessary_. "Do you think I care about credits? Do not worry, there will be plenty of those for you later. This is a strategic move. We will be bringing down the system, stopping funds from going through. When the Republic feels it, our new heroes will step in and take care of things. And the Jedi will be too little, too late."

A smirk now appeared on Zabra's face. "I think I am seeing where you are going with this, Sceptaurus, and I must say it's brilliant. Do keep up the good work."

"I will send you more details as necessary. Make this look good, Zabra, I would like our business relationship to be long-lasting." With that, the transmission was cut.

Zabra mulled over the situation. He couldn't stage something like this without Ihtor being privy to it, yet he didn't want to reveal this new-found liaison as of yet.

This would take some serious thought. After a moment, he decided on action first, then words. There was no use delaying the inevitable; he had already committed himself this far. He was smart enough not to anger a Sith lord. By the time everything was said and done, he would have the right words. If not, well... he would see how things played out.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Hope you're enjoying it so far! I promise it gets better! Reviews rule!

Star Wars names and concepts are owned by Lucasfilm and used for creative purposes only.  
Original names and concepts created by Tony Mancosu. Cover art by Tony Mancosu.


	5. Chapter 5

**-5-**

* * *

Karta sat at the Peacekeeper cruiser's controls, but it had been in autopilot for the last 24 hours or more. She'd commanded it to make random, periodic hyperspace jumps in order to throw the Tekdaemons off her trail.

She'd gotten hungry sometime yesterday, and had found a small ration pack stashed in the cargo bay, but it hadn't lasted long. She'd finished that and was still hungry, but with nothing else there, she'd tried to get a little sleep, to escape for a while.

She'd laid there for she didn't know how many hours, though, mulling over her next move. She was afraid that if she tried to get in touch with one of her contacts, they would be there waiting for her.

Finally, among the seemingly endless deliberation, she passed out, probably more from mental exhaustion than anything else. When she woke up, she knew she really didn't have many options, and sooner or later she would have to come back to realspace permanently.

She decided she would chance it and try one of her contacts, try to reach them before the Tekdaemons found her. There was no use delaying the inevitable.

Wherever this path took her, she had a growing determination, - _or was it desperation_? - and she'd be ready for anything that might happen. She wasn't going down that easily.

* * *

Since Vhinh had last seen her, he'd been working extra hard, determined that his training would not suffer. He had even meditated on it, and while there were some thoughts he couldn't quite process, he'd come to the conclusion that simply being around her was enough for him, and no harm could come of that. Let someone tell him differently. Upon finishing his training session, he decided he wanted to see her. She had given him her dorm room number, saying he could come visit her any time. At first he had refused it, seeing it as an invitation for trouble, but she had assured him that it would be strictly platonic.

Maybe his feelings weren't strictly platonic, but he had confidence his actions would be.

When he showed up at her door, after a moment he started to think she might not answer. But when she did, he presented her with a handpicked bouquet of local flora, proudly showing her how well he remembered the names of each and every one. She had a big smile on her face, and showed him in.

"I'm so glad you came over, I was just thinking of you," she said, staring deeply into his eyes.

"I don't think I've really stopped thinking of you," he admitted.

"Well, please, sit down. Would you like some ealla tea?" she offered.

"Oh, no, please. I'm good. I just wanted to see you."

They began talking, about anything and everything, and he did let her get him a cup of tea, and then another.

Soon it grew late, and she saw him glancing at the clock, but didn't say anything. When she stood up, he thought maybe he had overstayed his welcome, and she would show him out, but instead, she began undressing.

For a moment he just looked on, in a trance, as she casually stripped down to her underclothes. When he caught himself, he looked away, and, uncomfortably, said, "Um, Nea, I... we can't..."

She stopped him before he could stammer out anymore syllables, "You really aren't very good with words, you know that?" she said, teasingly. Then she folded her arms and said, "I'm just getting ready for bed, Vhinh. It's getting late, and I have a test tomorrow. You didn't think you were that lucky, did you?" she cocked her head mock scolding.

"I'm sorry, I should have known," he half-smiled, embarrassed. "Yeah, I should probably get going."

"Wait," she said, putting her hand on his arm, "will you sit here with me until I fall asleep?"

"Of course."

So he sat, watched her as she lay there, then watched her sleep for a while stroked her hair once and quietly showed himself out.

* * *

Eulian Tratzel, aka Darth Sceptaurus, could see everything that Mag Blaeloth could see. He could even read his thoughts.

As he sat at a command console far underground in a hidden location, he watched on a large split screen everything that Mag perceived. Perceived being the key word, as not everything that Mag perceived was necessarily reality. For instance, the assailant that Mag pursued across the planet Hethsba, a largely industrial world that also accommodated many residential and commercial zones.

On the split screen, one side showed things as they actually appeared, while the other side showed the 'translated' version, as it would now appear through the eyes of Mag Blaeloth. This translation was possible through the command console being wired into a feather-light band of a special conductive durasteel composite that Darth Sceptaurus wore. It ran from his hairline to the back of his skull and around to both temples. It was very similar to the band inside Mag's headset. The same headset that every member of the Galactic Peacekeepers had fitted inside their helmets, and which just happened to be designed and sold exclusively by one of Eulian Tratzel's largest technological manufacturers.

Galacom owned the contract to manufacture all of the communications equipment for the Galactic Peacekeepers. This included their dispatch control centers, cruisers, and the very headsets inside each Peacekeeper's helmet.

The communications equipment was designed to handle audio and video transmissions, and as far as anyone was aware of, this was all it did. But, there existed an extra wire in the guts of each Peacekeeper's headset, which, officially, if anyone asked, was for auxiliary purposes. Just as the band inside the headset was for reinforcement purposes.

Though Galacom was the manufacturer of the headsets, they only actually assembled them, receiving the parts from another company, who received their materials from another company.

In truth, the actual manufacturer of the components was borderline illegal, employing non-basic speaking workers in Far Outer Rim systems at slave wages, who had no idea what they were actually making or where it would be going.

The quality and functionality was there, however, so there was no need for anyone to question this outsourcing.

What these extra components actually did, when activated from a certain external command terminal, was pick up electrical impulses generated by neural activity, which converted them into an image on the left side of the screen in front of Darth Sceptaurus, so in essence taking a being's thoughts and converting them into a visual image, much like the ocular organs would do.

The image served as a visual aid, allowing Darth Sceptaurus, with the help of various controls with countless combinations, to imbue his own thoughts into the system and mold them into a second, more preferable image, which could then be converted back into the same electrical impulses, relayed back through the communications channel, and into a headset such as the one worn by Bren Hade at the Life Day revival festival.

Once the signal reached the highly conductive band of durasteel composite in the Peacekeeper's headset, it would mimic the patterns of the neurons in the brain, effectively imparting new thoughts to replace the old ones.

This was a highly sophisticated system, utilizing new technology yet unknown to the public, which took hundreds of years of research to make possible. There was no record of its existence, in fact, as every creative mind involved with the project was either eliminated, or, in rare cases, still on Eulian Tratzel's payroll, kept under very close watch.

As sophisticated as this technology was, the ability to manipulate it in real time was made possible in no small way by one possessing the highly enhanced senses of, say, a very powerful Sith lord with many lifetimes of training.

Fortunately for Darth Sceptaurus, he happened to possess this very skill set. This allowed him to, for instance, replace the citizens one saw with, say, space slugs. Or, in this case, as Mag's non-existent suspect was careening straight for a 5.5 billion liter chemical tanker, simply remove it.

* * *

No one would ever know why Mag's cruiser collided with the chemical tanker. The call he had sent out, stating that he was in pursuit of an armed suspect who had fired shots on a crowd of civilians, was never received.

While Mag's cruiser exploded on impact, the tanker did not. But the collision created a gaping hole in the side of the tanker, large enough to send the contents pouring out like a tidal wave onto the city below. A tidal wave of super-highly-corrosive, noxious acid that instantly ate through everything in its path, producing clouds of toxic vapor that, once inhaled, would be fatal to any life-form within seconds.

And so did chaos rain down on the once peaceful and productive world of Hethsba. Chaos that Darth Sceptaurus would have loved to watch materializing, but his monitor, the monitor once displaying a visual representation of what Mag's brain had seen, now showed only static. That was okay, he would catch it on the holovids.

Citizens, workers, and fauna all desperately fled from the ever-growing wave of death like headless nerfs, but to no avail.

If you caught sight of the rising tides, it was only moments before they would consume you as well, that is if the gas clouds had not already rendered you lifeless. This new ocean would quickly cover thousands of square miles of the world of Hethsba, and the gas clouds would make any surrounding area completely inhospitable. So would be the fate of Hethsba, and this, as Darth Sceptaurus knew and relished in, would be the straw that broke the Bantha's back for the Galactic Peacekeepers.

* * *

Having had no luck so far, and being scared off of Commenor, he'd finally decided to sleep on it, start fresh the next day.

He'd overslept, feeling distraught and overwhelmed, beginning to doubt his chances of ever finding this Oblith girl. It was a big galaxy. Maybe he could go back to Coruscant for a little longer –

_No_!

He decided he would rather starve. He'd come this far, he was going to see this through. After finally gathering enough motivation to get out of bed, he'd gathered his things and set course for Hethsba, the site of one of Karta's contacts.

In a way he almost hoped one of the other two had found her already, as it would give him an easy out. But he had to give a whole-hearted effort, this one time. He needed to prove something to himself.

As NineHundred touched down on Hethsba, Nars reflected on how peaceful and orderly it looked, not at all what one would expect as a hub of gang activity.

It just went to show that the scum were everywhere, and he got a small ego boost thinking of himself as one who may pay the galaxy a service by removing one sixteen-year-old thug from the street.

Now, as soon as he had jettisoned his speeder, left the ship and took the speeder's controls, he had his first encounter with one of the citizens of Hethsba. Holding a blaster to his head.

"Seriously?" he asked incredulously, more of a comment on the absurdity of the situation than anything.

"Step off my new speeder and get on the ground," the Borsk assailant uttered, a greedy smile spread across his lips. Borsk were native to Hethsba, though could be found on many worlds, identified by the three breathing holes where one would expect to see a nose, large thick unibrow covering most of their forehead, and Gammorean-like lower tusks.

As Nars did what the Borsk had said, his eyes suddenly went wide with child-like wonder, and he pointed up at the sky directly behind the thug. "Look, it's a kbatyu!"

The thug's expression now grew annoyed and disbelieving. "Are you joking? Man, I should blast you just for even trying th-"

Before he could finish, he was forcefully knocked down by the very creature Nars had innocently admired seconds before.

Kbatyu, also native to Hethsba, were truly creatures of beauty. With a sleek, avian-like morphology, they sported not feathers but an armor of glistening, multi-colored reptilian scales, with thousands of long, flowing tendrils wisping from their four wings. The tendrils served to trap microscopic vapor droplets of certain chemical compounds, which were then siphoned directly to the creature's digestive system, where a rare enzyme existed, having only evolved in the kbatyu within the last few millennia, which broke down the chemical compounds and converted them into usable energy. The fact that these chemical compounds were not found in an adequate concentration on this part of the planet, making it a rare occurrence to ever see a kbatyu here, was lost on him, but Nars would soon find out why this particular kbatyu had so hurriedly left its chosen habitat.

Presently, as he righted himself from the ground where his now disoriented assailant lay, he had a revelation. This thug may have contact with the very criminal element Nars was seeking out. Acting quickly, he slapped a pair of wrist restraints on the subject before the Borsk could shake off the cobwebs, then a second pair around the Borsk's ankles. This might be a good opportunity to try out his newest toy he'd picked up on Gyndine.

The new toy in question being a stunner, a very basic but effective regulated energy prod that could produce a mild shock- or much worse.

It was commonly used in crowd control situations, by the likes of the Galactic Peacekeepers all the way down to common cantina bouncers. It was a standard tool and an invaluable emergency secondary weapon in close combat situations. The one he had on him was most likely illegally obtained.

He'd lifted it from a small-time spice dealer who had skipped bail. The spice in question was in the process of decriminalization on that particular world, and the subject, being a minor at the time, had gotten off with 20 hours of community service- but details weren't important.

Now it was Nars' turn to make the demands. He'd start with the basics, then really push him for the details.

"Okay, scumface, time to talk. Who's your boss? What do you know about the Fire Fangs? Does the name Karta Oblith ring any bells?"

The Borsk, having only just composed himself, was caught off-guard with the sudden string of questions. "W-… What?" he exclaimed, bemused.

_Okay, time for a little encouragement_. Nars flipped on the stunner's switch. He touched it to the thug's stomach to give him a little jolt. Instead, the subject began violently convulsing, and in an instant, plumes of smoke began to rise up from his body. Nars quickly pulled back the stunner, but the subject didn't notice. His body still convulsed for a minute, but it was only reflex. He then collapsed to the ground, his criminal career abruptly halted.

So it was back to square one. Nars wouldn't let it discourage him, though. He shouldn't have any trouble running into more scum on this planet. He shrugged, pocketed the stunner, making sure to switch it off, and hopped on his speeder. Heading the same direction he'd seen the kbatyu fleeing from, he soon began to notice a thick fog off in the distance, then more kbatyu, many more- flocks of them.

It was an astonishing sight, and he could only stare, the grace of their synchronized flight matched only by the sheer splendor of their collective appearance.

He became distracted so he didn't see the speeder headed in the exact opposite direction as him.

The rider quickly veered off to the left, but Nars, a split-second later, committed to the same direction, and, before either could redirect their correction, the two speeders crashed. Nars' speeder-Nars having turned a little shorter and a little later- clipped the back of the other speeder with its front end.

Nars was thrown slightly off-balance and came to a halt after a long sideways skid that sent sparks flying up from both sides like waves around his speeder, while the other driver was not so lucky, being sent into a spiral-like spin that ultimately ended with the speeder bouncing once off the ground, throwing the driver off, and continuing into a sideways roll, nearly missing the driver who now lay fifteen meters away from the crash site.

Nars, practically unscathed, rose up and rushed to the driver, who, he hoped, had survived the wreck as well. As he got closer, he saw it appeared to be a human, a smaller human, perhaps not even an adult.

Oh, what a shame… Closer still, and he saw it was a female, probably only a teenager… -_what's she doing riding one of these things around like a_- then he saw her face. It automatically looked familiar, but he couldn't place it… then it clicked. It was her!

It was Karta Oblith!

He couldn't believe his luck. _Unless she's_… No, she was breathing. Unconscious, though.

Well, that would just make his job easier. He got on his com.

"NineHundred, pull up to intercept me, I have our subject," he tried to sound casual, like it should come as no surprise. _I'm trying to impress a robot_.

Then he saw the fog, and it was much thicker, and much closer. Something was on the ground, as well, steadily seeping closer. He had no idea what was going on, but he had a bad feeling about this. "Uh, NineHundred…"

"Yes, sir."

"Hurry!"

"Yes, sir."

In a moment, NineHundred hovered over Nars and his unconscious quarry. The clouds grew closer, and Nars could actually see buildings coming down in the far distance, speeders and pedestrians here and there, running past him, or getting swallowed up in the devastation.

He didn't know if the speeder was operable at this time, but he didn't have time to check. "NineHundred, deploy the tow cable and pull in the speeder," he said as NineHundred was touching down, letting out the entrance ramp. Grunting and straining, he managed to heft Karta over his shoulder and lug her aboard the ship, nearly dropping her, finally crumpling just inside the hatchway, letting her down hastily on the deck.

A thick tow cable with a magnetic claw shot out, catching the speeder. NineHundred's thrusters pushed the ship back off the ground, and the speeder, swinging and swaying, was finally reeled in to the open cargo hatch on the ship's belly.

Wisps of fog seemed to reach out to the ship, which was now on its way out of the planet's atmosphere, NineHundred's emergency evac subroutine having been triggered by this point.

Nars watched through the viewport as the city seemed to crumble below, filling with new rivers and channels of the deadly liquid. "What the blaze is going on down there, NineHundred?"

"Sound casts are stating there was a large chemical spill on another part of the planet, sir."

"Another part of the planet? What kind of a chemical spill does this?"

"Apparently a very large chemical spill, sir."

Safe aboard the ship, he slapped restraints on his captive, hefted her onto a cot, and secured her to one of the cabin walls.

"I see she is still breathing, sir. My probability generator may need adjusting."

"Ha, _freaking _ha, bolt brain!" he was actually in a good mood after this catch, down for a little verbal duel with his inanimate rival.

"There is some significant damage to your speeder, however, the internal components all seem to be intact. This may in fact be your most successful undertaking, sir."

Nars paused a second to decide if this was in fact a compliment or back-handed quip. He opted to go with the former. "Damn right. Not much to say now, NineHundred?"

"Have you chosen a retirement world yet, sir, or do you plan to continue testing the odds?"

Rolling his eyes, Nars confidently retorted. "Aw, you're just jealous. Don't worry I might make use of you a little longer before I sell you to the scrap yard. Why don't you set course for Commenor, so I can collect my _ten thousand creds_?"

"Yes, sir," NineHundred replied, already making the calculations. "Judging by her apparent injuries, Ms. Oblith must have put up a fight. It's fortunate you were able to handle her, sir."

Visibly irritated now, Nars came back, "I didn't beat her up if that's what you're implying! We wrecked! Do you have crossed wires or something?"

"It was apparent, sir."

Nars couldn't help but grin. Was that an attempt at good-natured teasing from a droid? "Alright, NineHundred. Very funny. So is she gonna be okay?"

"She doesn't appear to have any broken bones, however cerebral scans do show a concussion. If she wakes up, she should recover well."

Nars suddenly felt guilty. All this time he was worried about his bounty, but the well being of this young girl was in limbo. "You… mean there's a chance she… might not… wake up?" Nars looked down at her, unconscious on one of the cabin's cots.

"There is a chance, sir, as there always is with head trauma. She wasn't wearing a helmet, sir."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No, sir, not really."

So Nars sat down beside her, now questioning his own motives. He couldn't imagine how guilty he would feel if she didn't make it. He wished there was something he could do right now, but it looked like all he could do was wait. So, as they made their way to Commenor, that was what he did.

* * *

Darth Sceptaurus, still reveling in his own handiwork, sent an outgoing holocom transmission, and the female figure once again appeared before him.

"Greetings, my love," she answered.

"Hello, my dear. The preparations have been made; I suspect there will be a good outcome. We will move forward very soon. How goes everything on your end?"

"There have been setbacks, but nothing I can't handle, my lord. We will have our subject in good time."

"Insure that you do, Sada. I will need you here in order to carry on. Timing is critical, do _not _make mistakes."

"Have I ever, my love?"

Without answering, he cut off the transmission, now contacting his new business associate, Zabra the Hutt. Zabra, annoyed as usual, changed his demeanor when he saw who was contacting him. "How may I serve you, my lord."

"Have you assembled your men, Zabra?"

"I'm in the process. There are other matters I must see to in order to make these accommodations."

"See to it you do, then, and waste no time. I will need you ready within two standard days."

"That will be no problem. Is there anything else?"

"Yes. Leave your holodeck on. I think you'll be pleased with my most recent project.


	6. Chapter 6

**-6-**

* * *

Karta awoke and was very disoriented. Her head hurt, her whole body hurt, in fact, and she had no idea where she was. What was this place?

A ship, obviously, but who's ship? How did she get here... and who was this weird Gran sleeping in a chair next to her?

Then she remembered something... the Tekdaemons!

They were after her, and no doubt meant to silence her for good. But she'd evaded them; she'd stolen a Peacekeeper cruiser and made her way to Hethsba, to rendezvous with Sie Ganden, one of the heads of the Fire Fangs.

But what happened? All she could pull up were images- smoke, screaming, running from something...

_It doesn't matter right now, I'm in serious trouble, and I have to get out of here- wherever _here _is_.

She sat up, tried to quietly slide off the bed, then realized she was restrained.

_No_!

It couldn't be over! She wasn't ready to die! She'd fought so hard, and not to end up like this.

Why were they doing this? What were they planning to do with her? There had to be a way out- there had to be! One hand was bound to the ship's interior, if she could just get that one hand free...

Then the Gran woke up.

_NOOO! That's it. I can't take this! I'm not doing this! I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not, I'm noooooooooooot_!

"Nooooooooooooooooooooo! Get away from me, you scum! Get away, I'll kill you! Whatever you think I did, whatever you think I heard, it's not true! You can't do this! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Her piercing scream made the Gran cover his ears and shrink back. The Gran was obviously trying to speak to her, but she didn't want to hear anything he had to say.

She kept screaming. Was this what it was like when you lost your mind? She was backed in a corner, helpless, but she refused to accept her fate. She didn't know what else to do. She could make out some of the Gran's words.

"NineHundred, what do I do?" he yelled.

"Be glad she woke up, sir," came a fluidic robotic voice. "You did want to collect that bounty, after all."

Upon hearing this, she began screaming even louder, if that was possible. The Gran winced at this horrid noise. She was fighting with the restraints now, she didn't care if she lost her hand; she had to get out of here.

The Gran reached out to try to stop her, but luckily her free arm had the vibroblade up the sleeve. She took a hurried slice at him, and it did indeed make contact, slicing off one of his stubby fingertips.

"Yeeeeeeeeeeoooooooow!" he cried out in pain, and now they were both screaming, the Gran now running back and forth across the ship's cabin as Karta, still in hysterics, fought frantically with the wrist restraints.

Had the droid known as NineHundred had a sense of humor, it might have found the sight slightly amusing.

"NineHundred, please _do _something!" the Gran cried out, shaking and cradling his now cauterized stump of a finger. Then there was only complete silence.

The Gran's whimpers could be seen, but not heard. Karta tried to scream and she felt it coming out, but it made no sound. Now, above the silence, only the voice of the droid NineHundred could be heard.

"Ms. Oblith, please calm down. Your heart rate is dangerously high, and you are bleeding. No one wishes you harm. This is Nars Free'ta, a bounty hunter, in some sense of the word."

Nars' angry rebuttals could not be heard, but that didn't seem to matter to him. "Yes, sir, this is one of my extended capabilities, perhaps not the most versatile, but definitely helpful in this particular situation. Noise cancellation, emitting a negative counterpart of every frequency produced, which intercepts and effectively cancels out every sound altogether. I am, of course, communicating through a separate frequency, so the only audible sound waves in this ship are the ones coming from my voc chip. I will terminate this program once everyone's heart rates return to normal.

"Ms. Oblith, please refrain from struggling with your restraint. We have limited medical facilities on this ship, and having you bleed to death is not in Mr. Free'ta's best interest. We only mean to return you to your home planet. Your father has offered a substantial reward for your safe return." Karta's protests could be seen plainly, though she had seemed to calm down a little.

"Mr. Free'ta, if you wish to converse with Ms. Oblith, I can terminate the program at this point. Are you agreeable?" Nars' response appeared to be positive, but still silent. "I'm sorry sir, I can't hear you." Nars' apparent frustration was now evident in his mouthing of syllables.

"Just kidding, sir. I will restore the audio frequencies to their normal state. Let me remind you, however, that babysitting is not in my programming, so the two of you must make some effort to remain civil."

"Shut up, NineHundred." Nars nearly covered his mouth in surprise when the silent mutter he expected could be heard plain as day throughout the cabin.

Karta didn't waste any time. "Please, Mr. Free'ta, you can' t take me back to Commenor, I-"

"Hey, hey, don't do the crime if you can't do the time, isn't that what they say? Don't worry, your father is the mayor, _and _he's loaded. I'm sure he'll keep you out of jail. You might be grounded for awhile, though."

"No, please listen, that's the least of my worries. They're going to _kill _me!"

"Well, maybe juvenile detention, but... yeah, I remember what it was like to be young. Losing your freedom does feel like death."

Karta was quickly becoming frustrated. "Urrrr! No, you-," she stopped herself. Her life was in his hands right now. "_Not _the Peacekeepers, not my dad! The _Tekdaemons_!"

Nars flinched at the mention of the name. "Yipe! Uh... what do they have to do with this? What would they want with a 16-year-old kid?"

"Look, I heard something I guess I wasn't supposed to, some political garbage. Then one of them caught up with me. I got them with my blade and managed to escape."

Nars looked down at his finger. "Yeah, really handy with that thing, aren't you?"

Karta looked at him apologetically. "I'm _sorry _about your finger. I thought you were working for them, I didn't know. I've been running for my life for the last couple days."

She paused, searching his face. "Please, you must understand. I know you're a bounty hunter, but you must have a heart. Please don't turn me in. I don't _want _to die."

A look of concern washed over his face, then it changed to a frown. "Now hey, what about my ten thousand credits? I worked hard for this, you know."

He hated to sound selfish, but it was true, and he had to eat.

"So you'd put that price on sentient life?"

Nars looked down, a little ashamed. "Look, even if you go and collect your bounty, they'll probably just kill you for not handing me over to them directly. They've been known to do that. I'm sure I'm on their hot list." The Tekdaemons hot list. A public data posting that could be read by anyone- completely legal, as no threats are implied, only a list of names.

However, it was common knowledge that to defy the list meant certain death. To be on the list could sometimes mean worse.

"You know, you're putting me in a really bad position, here, in addition to costing me a lot of credits. Now I gotta worry about hauling you around like a fugitive? I don't want to die either, y'know. I might have to hand you over just to save my own skin!" He knew he couldn't, but he was a bit irked right now at the situation.

"No! Please, listen, as long as they don't see me, they don't know I'm with you. If you're worried about the credits, I can help you make it up. I've made that much for my bosses in a day."

"Hey, look, I'm no criminal, I mean... did you say in a day?" She nodded. "I don't know. So you're just gonna be my new permanent roommate?"

"It will only be until I find someplace to go."

"Yeah, never heard that one before..." He really hadn't. "Yeah well... what about my love life? The last thing I need is you cramping my style if I have a female over."

"Rest assured, Ms. Oblith, that won't be an issue," NineHundred chimed in.

"Shut up, NineHundred," Nars said, his general contingency response.

At this, Karta actually giggled. Upon hearing this hint of innocent amusement, his face softened. He even smiled a little. "Fine! But it's temporary, okay? As soon as I find some Outer Rim rock to dump you off on, we part ways. And you owe me big."

Karta's eyes lit up, and she hugged him - or, tried to.

"Oh, sorry. Let me get that for you," said Nars, unlocking her restraint.

"Thank you so much! I could tell you were a decent guy!" She now moved in for a proper hug.

Nars was a little overwhelmed at the show of gratitude, it wasn't something he was accustomed to.

"Okay, okay, you're welcome. You know, you're lucky I found you before those Tekdaemons did." Then he remembered the nature of their first contact.

"Hey- you came from where all that fog was back on Hethsba. What exactly was going on down there anyway?"

Having her memory jogged, Karta started remembering bits and pieces of her brief visit to Hethsba.

"I'm... not sure... but- wait, the _Tekdaemons_- they were there too! They found me, and I was running from them." Nars shuddered at the thought.

That means they'd tracked her there before him. Were they the 'bounty hunters' that had spoken with her father that day? "Oh no- you don't think they tracked your ship, do you?" She was now scared. What if he changed his mind at this point?

"No, there were no Tekdaemons around when I hit y-, er..." he stumbled on his words momentarily. "I mean, I made sure no one was tracking us, don't worry."

She visibly relaxed. "I guess we'll find out what happened on the news vids.

"Yeah. So- how'd you get into all this... unsavory activity?"

Karta told him her story, how she was ready to give it up, about her run-in with the Tekdaemons.

He listened intently, actually rather fascinated - this little girl had led a more exciting life than him already. Maybe she would come in handy. He was actually glad he quite literally ran into her when he did, even though it didn't turn out the way he'd expected.

* * *

The very next day on Coruscant, an emergency meeting of the Intergalactic Senate had been called to discuss the most recent incidents involving the Galactic Peacekeepers.

"We are called here today on a very tragic note, fellow representatives," Bruiing Johen, the elderly Chief of State of the Republic, paused to scan the crowd composed of tens of thousands of senators and representatives from all over the galaxy.

"A great sadness has fallen on us all after the horrible catastrophe on Hethsba yesterday. A worldwide cleanup effort has already been organized, but very little of the planet will be hospitable at this point, and tens of thousands of lives have been lost, if not more. There is no doubt the world of Hethsba has been changed forever. Satellite footage has determined the cause of the spill being the collision of a Galactic Peacekeeper cruiser into the tanker.

"The Peacekeeper, for no apparent reason, piloted his craft directly into the tanker. He was previously seen swerving and speeding around wildly through the city of Mevilen before heading for the tanker. As with the other recent incidents involving Peacekeepers, we have no way of knowing what was going through the minds of these individuals, but at this point it is not the focus of our thoughts, as most of you will have already concluded." He paused, bowed his head for a moment and continued to address the house.

"It has gotten completely out of hand, my friends. We never would have expected this, but we are now forced to view the Peacekeepers as an extreme liability. Billions of Republic credits have been lost due to these and other acts of recklessness, but are dwarfed by the cost in sentient life. We cannot in good conscience continue to facilitate an environment of this type of risk for our citizens.

"While investigations will be ongoing in all of these cases, in the meantime we are forced to make a very hard decision. The bill proposed by Senator Ayda Hynn of Commenor, to cut the funding of the Galactic Peacekeeper program altogether, effectively shutting the program down, had few proponents initially, but forced us to take a look at this growing problem. Many of us no doubt saw it as a non-option, as we have relied on the Peacekeepers to maintain order throughout the galaxy, and we would question the state the galaxy would be in without them. Who would fill the void? Our modest military force is still equipped to deal with issues of galactic security, but cannot be dispersed as densely as was the Peacekeeper force. So it seems the effects would be felt more on the scale of each individual planet and system.

"No doubt the Jedi would assist as much as they are able, but with only so many available Jedi this would only go so far. It has been suggested that the Bounty Hunters Guild could expand their operations, perhaps eventually even working side by side with local and intergalactic governments, but we are well aware that this element has been questionable at best, so time can only tell if this will come to fruition. We know in fact that a bounty hunter was responsible for bringing down the shooter at the Life Day slaying. We will continue to brainstorm new options in this regard, but for now, we must make a decision. Let us now get to the task at hand.

"On this matter, the passing of bill #3749J-9365A, to cut the funding for and shut down the Galactic Peacekeeper program, we will require a majority vote of 50 plus 1 percent in order for it to pass. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Intergalactic Senate, you may now cast your votes."

Each and every being in the enormous House of the Senate turned their attention to their personal datapads.

Each datapad had its own encrypted signal with the representative's personal identification data linked to it. A large holo image in the center of the house would display the results only after every member had locked in their vote. When all of the votes had been cast, a distinct gong sound could be heard throughout the house. Within seconds, the numbers appeared plain as day for all to see.

The result- an overwhelming majority vote- to disband the Galactic Peacekeepers.

"Representatives of the senate, I thank you for your votes. Effective immediately, funding for the Galactic Peacekeeper force will be eliminated. All Peacekeepers will be relieved of their duties, and all records and resources will be seized," he announced mechanically, pausing again for a long moment.

"May the individual Peacekeepers understand how difficult but necessary a decision this was. Our hearts go out to the Peacekeepers and their families. Until these matters are resolved, we wish them well in every endeavor. It is unfortunate that so many must suffer for the misdeeds of a few. On this note, I adjourn this meeting. We shall resume tomorrow to discuss new law enforcement options and the execution of this order in its entirety. I thank you all for your attendance on this day."

And with that, the representatives began filing out. The matter had been decided, and only time would tell how events would play out in its aftermath. Somewhere, in the far reaches of the galaxy, a wicked laugh could be heard.

* * *

It was on a sad note that Vhinh paid his next visit to Nea. Having heard of the horror at Hethsba, along with the rest of the galaxy, training had been canceled for all Jedi to give them a day to meditate on this great disturbance and search for the missing pieces of this puzzle involving the Peacekeepers.

Vhinh had risen earlier than usual, and in fact had barely slept the night before, partly due to the stress the entire situation was putting on the Jedi as a whole, having now an increased responsibility to the galaxy, and partly due to the guilt that as this whole scenario had played out, his thoughts had been elsewhere. He knew that soon would be his trials, after which he would probably be deployed to some distant planet, perhaps with a few other Jedi, to try and maintain stability in the absence of the Peacekeepers.

This was another concern of his as well. He had counted on having more time with Nea, that maybe waiting and going through the entire courtship process would be a possibility.

But as a state of disarray suddenly washed over the galaxy, he knew big changes were coming, changes that he had no control of, only a duty to serve, as he had spent most of his life in preparation for up to this point. Right now, he knew the right thing to do would be to tell her good-bye rather than prolong the whole ordeal and make it more painful.

He also knew there was no way he could do that, even if it meant things would be much more difficult later on. He would spend as much time as he could with her before his trials, and hopefully by then they could work out some solution.

Though it was not the Jedi way, or even the practical way, it was the only way he could stomach at this point. He just wanted to talk to her.

Before he reached her dorm room, he stopped for a minute, still not knowing what he should say. Should he just pretend like nothing was going on, these thoughts weren't swimming and churning through his head, like he wasn't being tormented with a hundred conflicting emotions at once?

_Using your head isn't what got you here, why start now?_ He half-laughed to himself at the irony as he stepped up to the door.

When she answered, she appeared very distant. She barely looked at him, only giving a weak 'hello' and stepping aside to let him in. He hadn't seen her this way before, and it was unsettling.

He guessed she might be feeling for the lives lost on Hethsba, or- maybe- she had the same premonition as him, and knew their time together may be cut short very soon.

She made her way to her bed and sat down. He stood for a moment, just inside the entryway, and she looked up at him. "You can sit down," she offered, mechanically.

The room was quiet. No holodeck playing, just the uncomfortable silence he knew he had to break soon before he lost the nerve. "How are you doing?" he asked with genuine concern.

She sat there for a long moment, not answering. As the seconds rushed by, he grew scared of what she might say.

_She knows what's coming. She's smart, and she's going to break this off- whatever it is- right now_. He couldn't blame her, but if that was it, he wished she would just hurry and do it instead of leaving him in agony like this.

_Please don't_.

No, he wasn't ready for this. In his stupidity, his irresponsibility, all his training on preparing for every possibility, he'd found he was not, in fact, prepared for this. He was about to open his mouth, try and talk her out of what he was sure she would say, when she finally spoke.

"I have to go away, Vhinh," she started, her voice cracking on the last syllable, now showing real emotion, a softness he had longed for, but not like this. She looked up at him, and tears welled up in her eyes.

_Wait- what did she say? She has to go away? _"W- What? Go... where?"

"To Hethsba. Well, not to Hethsba right away, to a training facility for six weeks, and then straight to Hethsba- to help with the re-building. Well, I'll be aiding in the terraforming, fertilization, re-seeding, that kind of thing."

He didn't know what to say- it sounded like exactly what she should be doing, what she _wanted _to do.

"That's really sudden, isn't it? I mean, this just happened less than two days ago, and they're already sending people over there?"

"Well, the company, ECOstem, I had actually applied for an internship with them a while after I started school. They seemed interested, but said they wouldn't have anything for me at that time. They needed personnel with experience, but they would keep me in mind in the future. I guess they know they'll needa lot of personnel for this project, and they aren't wasting any time. They want to get me trained and shipped over there as soon as possible. I'll be an _advisor_, Vhinh," her eyes got slightly wider as she said this.

As she spoke, he could see the enthusiasm coming through and he knew- this was her life. "I didn't think I was ready for this, but they have confidence in me. They said they were very impressed with me, and they think I'm the right person for the job. This has been one of my _dreams_."

"I'm really proud of you, and happy for you, Nea," as hard as it was to say, he knew it was the right thing, and he really was proud and happy for her.

He just wasn't ready to let her go. She moved closer, and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her, and it felt so good, so warm.

He wanted to protect her, be there for her wherever she ended up. The she lifted her head and kissed him.

A slow, tender kiss, their lips melting into each other.

He didn't pull back this time. His heart raced and his body tingled from head to toe. The fluttering in his stomach he usually felt when he was around her seemed to be replaced by pounding.

"I didn't want it to be this way, Vhinh," she said, now staring deep into his eyes.

"Neither did I, Nea," he said solemnly, and this time he kissed her, softly, and she met his lips and pulled in closer, much closer. He didn't care anymore. He may not see her again for a long time, and he just wanted to be with her right now. Just then, she pulled away. This time she didn't look at him when she spoke.

"Vhinh, you know what this means, right?"

He forced a smile. "It means once I complete my trials, I'm going to have a really high fuel bill with all the visits to Hethsba," he said hopefully.

She shook her head slowly. "No. There won't be any visits. I can't do that. I'm not the type of person that can do that. Wait around, you know. It's one thing being on the same planet, like we were, there might have been possibilities, but I think you and I both know this thing was doomed from the beginning. There are too many variables."

He looked at her like she was speaking a different language. "I'll visit you so much, it will be like I live there, Nea. We can do this. I'm willing to wait as long as it takes!"

He could hear the desperation in his own voice and futile protests.

"I'm not, Vhinh. I'm sorry." She said it matter-of-factly. He knew there was no point in arguing. She then went on, "The worst part is, I'm falling in love with you. You're the nicest guy I've ever met, you make me feel special, and I've been drawn to you ever since I met you."

His jaw nearly dropped at her openness. "Nea, I... I feel the same way. There's something about you. I mean, you're obviously incredibly beautiful, but it's so much more. Ever since we met I just want to be around you all the time."

She kissed him again, hard this time, and he met it with as much intensity. The tempo of their breathing increased, and they suddenly began running their hands all over each other.

Recognizing where this could lead, even as much as he might want it, Vhinh pulled away. She knew why, and she looked at him longingly.

"I just want one night to remember you by, Vhinh. Please, that's all I ask. It will be so perfect. Then I'll go back to my life, you can finish your training, and I'll never get in the way of that again. You'll be the best Jedi ever."

She stepped away now, and began slowly undressing, this time completely. "But right now, you're just _Vhinh _to me... " She stood there for a long moment, and he couldn't speak. He finally forced himself to look away, and she made her way to him. She placed one hand on his belt, and slid the other hand under his tunic, to rest on his bare chest. "... And that's how I want to remember you."

How could something feel so right and yet so wrong at the same time? _Because it's a mistake, Vhinh_.

But it's one night. It's just like she said, all we'll have is this memory_. _

_Trust your feelings, Vhinh, you know something isn't right_.

His inner voice was starting to sound like his master. Was something not right? That was ridiculous. Nea was a wonderful person. What could be wrong with expressing themselves to each other one time before he never saw her again? _You are making a huge mistake. You will have only regret_. He allowed himself one more glance at her.

_I... don't... care_.

And with that, he silenced his voice and gave in. He pulled her close to him, and kissed her once more.

This was the night he wanted, the night they should have before they were so unfairly separated. The universe isn't always fair, and sometimes you have to take something back. He was in love, and practically an adult.

He thought of all the "what if's:" What if his masters found out? How would they?

He didn't need to say anything- they didn't have to know _everything_, did they?

What if they conceived a child? How could that be a bad thing? They would be bound together then, they could have a family.

Maybe it sounded selfish, but it would make it harder for her to leave. He almost wished it would happen, so he could hold on to her.

But no, this was about the two of them, about one night. That was all that mattered right now. Their love, this beautiful moment, was forever in their memories.

It was all that mattered. There would be time for regrets later, but he couldn't imagine regretting this, it was too perfect. Right now, this was the only thing that seemed real.

So he lost himself in reality.

* * *

Thanks again for reading! Reviews please!

Star Wars names and concepts are owned by Lucasfilm and used for creative purposes only.  
Original names and concepts created by Tony Mancosu. Cover art by Tony Mancosu.


	7. Chapter 7

**-7-**

* * *

"Here to relieve you, Pakis," a voice from behind Pakis Keta said. Pakis rose from his console, where in reality he spent more actual time on the holonet than monitoring his post from his watchtower on Muunilinst.

Part of a modest private security force commissioned by the banking clan, his job was to monitor one section of the perimeter surrounding the control sector, where most credit transactions throughout the galaxy were relayed through, for any suspicious activity.

It was an extremely boring, seemingly mundane job, but it gave him time to think - mostly about how he got stuck in such a boring, mundane job.

Turning to greet Dav Raxter, the second shift relief at his post, he took the last swig from his stim cup.

"Man, they're making this stuff stronger all the time. I might not even be able to sleep tonight."

"Yeah, I never drink any after 1500. Trying to quit, actually."

"Yeah, good luck with that."

"Ha! Right? Hey, so that's crazy about the Peacekeepers, eh?"

Pakis rolled his eyes sardonically. "Yeah, tough break, but they had it comin'. Give someone any kind of power and it goes right to their head."

"Come on! You know it's more than that. None of it makes sense, all this stuff happening within the last couple years - it's like mass hysteria or something."

"Yeah, well, whatever it is, they're putting guys like us in a really bad position. Ain't like we can just com the Jedi and have 'em rush on over if something happens."

"Yeah, I think at this point the Republic is just trying to cut their losses. Hopefully they figure something out soon."

Gathering up his things, Pakis added, as an afterthought, "Hey you should see this realvid. Some lady's felinx saved her youngling from a vornskr."

"No dust? I'm gonna have to check it out."

"Oh, it's tech, man! Well, see ya tomorrow."

"Alright." As Dav settled in and started on his first, and last, cup of stim for the day, he noticed a fleeting blip on the radar screen. It only flashed for a split-second and then it was gone.

It was probably a friendly whose security clearance didn't go through right away. It happened once in a while, and he really didn't think anything of it. Still, he would follow protocol and check it out.

"Everything check out on the ground?"

"3247 check," came a voice from the other end.

"5883 check," then another voice.

As he listened to a list of codes, codes that were updated three times each day, it was his duty to check them off a list at his console.

Each code represented a security team member at a specific station around the perimeter of the control sector. When the com channel went silent, he noted that two of the codes were missing.

"1139 and 9816, copy?" Probably don't even have their coms turned on yet. Someone over there should, though.

He looked up the two codes in the current database. Both were for the shield generators. "Well, that's not good..." He spoke again into the com. "1139 and 9816 not responding. Need personnel to secure the shield generators."

"7675 on the way," was the first response, one of Dav's buddies, Tedo Andara.

"2115 on the way," came the required second responder.

Looking back to the screen, he now saw another blip, followed by two more, and then over a dozen. He looked out his viewport now to see a plethora of ships dropping out of hyperspace. There were ships of every size and type: gunships, starfighters, transports, an entire army appearing before his eyes.

"Shields up! Repeat, shields up!"

"7675 reporting, shields disabled, men down on the ground! All personnel form up, we have a-_AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH_!"

"Tedo! _Tedo_, do you copy?!"

Hundreds of security personnel armed themselves and fired on the invading fleet, but the odds were stacked against them.

Dav strapped in to his tower's mounted laser cannon, managing to shoot down a few starfighters and put a dent in a gunship before it turned its cannons on him.

Watchtowers went down, one by one, and the fleet descended upon the control sector.

"The transports! Take out the transports!" came a frantic cry over the channel, but the accompanying ships had served their purpose well, as the transports touched down, a flood of troops emerging.

They wasted no time in heading for the main control terminal building, as if the entire attack had been choreographed. They seemed to know the control sector inside and out.

Swarming the building, taking out any ground personnel on the way, half of the brigade surrounded every entrance and exits while the other made its way inside, straight to the control terminal room.

Inside the room, around fifty beings monitored traffic, performed systems checks and kept everything in working order around the chrono.

"Everyone on the ground!" came the cry of the first intruder, as the others filed in after him. Outnumbering them two to one, the invaders quickly had everyone in the room subdued, blasters trained on them.

The assumed ringleader of the group, a Tekdaemon, looking to one of the captives, a middle-age Shistavanen, made his demands.

"Tell me how to shut the system down, now!"

"I'll never tell you that, young man!" yelled the old man defiantly.

"You're right about that, then," the Tekdaemon said, as he squeezed the trigger of his blaster, executing the man on the spot.

He then addressed the room. "So, as you can see, I'm not playing games here! Who wants to step up and make life a lot easier for the lot of you?"

There was no response. "You wanna play that way? Well, this nice lady just volunteered," he said, grabbing a Muun female from the floor next to him.

"No, no, miss, don't say anything. I'm sure your friends don't want to see you join the old man, so they should have no problem telling me what I want to know, within _five seconds_! Five. Four. Three. Two..." The fast count effectively added even more pressure to the situation.

"Okay, okay, just don't kill anyone else," came a man's voice from the back of the room.

"No promises. Come on then, let's hear it!"

"You have to access the main authorization screen on the control panel, then enable emergency override," said the man. One of the Tekdaemons had already done so, and called out, "We need the codes, mister! Let's go!"

The man hesitated, scanning the faces of his team of co-workers. At this, the Tekdaemon jammed the blaster into the Muun's head, the only thing stopping her from falling being his tight grip on her arm. "I am not even joking, man. I don't care if I leave fifty dead bodies; it's your choice. Now!" He screamed the last part, causing half the room to flinch.

"Just tell him, Ziod," one of his co-workers conceded.

The man hung his head in resignation. "0... 23... 8...," he recited blankly.

"Faster! Come on!"

"7, 3, 6, 9, 8, 5, 3." After the thug had entered in the digits, the man continued, "then you have to-"

But it was already done. A computerized voice could be heard coming from the ceiling. "You have chosen to shut down the system. Are you sure?"

"Yeeeeeeees!" The thug screamed at the inorganic voice. As quick as that, the system took itself offline and powered down. The collective room slumped, as if experiencing a great defeat. The Intergalactic Banking System was closed.

"And now, we wait," said the Tekdaemon, now completely calm and composed.

* * *

"Zabra, what in the galaxy do you think you're doing?" came Ihtor's angry reaction over the holocom at discovering that a large band of their men had made way for Muunilinst.

"Whatever you have going on, since when do you not clear these kind of operations with me?" Ihtor's image could be seen vigorously pacing back and forth.

Zabra let out a long, resigned sigh. "Ihtor, my friend, I've had to make a few changes, but rest assured, it will be in the best interest of this enterprise."

"Why are you talking like that? Did you swallow a glow toad?" Ihtor took on a puzzled, agitated expression.

"I have not the words, my friend. I am only sorry it has to be this way. I have so enjoyed conducting business together." Zabra said plainly.

"What are you trying to-" Ihtor started, then heard the blast door of his stronghold open behind him. Four of his men entered. "What do you want? I'm dealing with something right now!" The thugs only paused, then continued toward him. "Do you need your hearing enhancers checked?"

"Farewell, Ihtor," Zabra bid his long-time friend.

With this, the thugs raised blasters, directed at Ihtor. "What? No! You can't do this! Are you insane? You're going to-" Ihtor's words were silenced by blaster fire, and his scorched carcass slumped to the floor.

"Dispose of the body, and report to me at once," ordered Zabra, still appearing on the holocom.

"Yes, Zabra," one of the thugs complied.

Zabra was not pleased with his decision, but it was a decision he had to make nonetheless. With this new dynamic, he could not chance having Ihtor engage in dealings with this Sith behind his back, as he himself had done.

This alliance would be uneasy enough, and he did not need more liabilities to distract him from the broader picture. He needed to hone his senses, remain tactful, if he wanted to profit from this venture.

Sith were not recognized as good business partners, but there could be certain advantages to such a powerful affiliation. He would be an indispensable asset to this Sith, and when the time was right, he would take everything, and grant the Sith a very painful death for making him do this to his dear friend.

The Hutts were no stranger to this game. They had been in it perhaps as long as the Sith. They had maintained a constant presence in the galaxy for millennia, while the Sith would go off the grid for ages at a time. _Yes, we'll see who can weather this storm, Sith_.

* * *

Vhinh awoke in darkness. In a pitch-black room, he couldn't see so much as his own hand in front of his face. Then came a tiny light off in the distance. More popped up, and they began to form the star clusters of a spiral galaxy.

Now he was surrounded by millions of tiny stars, and he floated there, no concept of up or down. One distant star began to twinkle, and as he watched, it moved closer, or grew, he couldn't tell. Its hue gradually changed from a brilliant white to a glowing blood red.

As it continued to grow, it seemed to draw the nearby stars to it, absorbing them. The millions of stars fell into the growing mass by the thousands, and then, he felt its gravity pulling at him.

Then he lay, disoriented, in an unfamiliar place. After the fog began to clear, he recognized it as Nea's dorm room.

Still shaken by the incredibly vivid dream - _was it a dream_? - a smile slowly spread on his face as he remembered how he had gotten here. He turned to the other side of the bed, but it was empty.

He reached out his hand touching the place where she had lain the last time he'd seen her. It was strangely cold.

How long had he been asleep? Where was she? He sat up and searched the room, seeing no signs of any presence. _I should wait for her. She should be back soon_.

In some way, though, he didn't feel she would return. It was almost as if there was a sudden void where she'd once been.

Now all he had were thoughts, memories. He began to feel very alone, very small, helpless. Why had he let her go? He wanted to hold her, forever, be lost in that reality again, but before he realized, he'd closed his eyes and she was gone.

It seemed so unfair. Who had he gone to for solace when the galaxy seemed so unkind? Almost as far back as he could remember, it was his Master Ytalha, who had shown him that he was never alone when he touched the Force, for he was one with everything.

_We are all one; one need not want, for everything that is lies within ourselves_. Master Ytalha's words. Those words had comforted him, given him the strength and courage to live a life that for so many seemed such a dreary existence. _Master Ytalha, what do I do now? _

He'd turned his back on the teachings that gave meaning to his entire existence that made sense of everything. Now, he felt an even bigger loss.

A day ago he might not have thought that possible, but maybe he had been living in denial - letting himself slip further away, finding something else to hold on to, to distance him from the realization that he was losing himself. It was hard to think of her in that light.

However, right now, for the first time in days, all he could think of, all he could reach for was the Force, and he grieved for his training, his one and only path to understanding, to being.

Taking one last deep breath, as if inhaling the remnants of this small chapter of his life, only to exhale and leave them behind, he made his way out of the dorm room.

He knew now that he must face his master, he must confess this indiscretion, and hope the council would still offer him their guidance, still have a place for him. _How could I have been so stupid? _

Yet he understood, in some way, and perhaps she would hold a place in his heart, but he now saw the full picture, and saw how things should be, not this daydream he had been living in. If his destiny was with her, they would find each other, but by trying to change that, he had risked losing everything.

Was he even prepared for his trials? Physically, he knew he was, but mentally, spiritually, he felt something lacking, and he sensed his master was aware of this as well.

As the long walk took him closer to the Jedi Temple, each agonizing step seemed to rip another fragment from his reality, and he feared when he reached his destination there would no longer be anything left that he recognized.

He didn't know what he would do, but he had to confront it, he had to be true to the person he was meant to be.

As he ascended the many steps of the temple, he could see in the near distance four figures, all wearing the robes of the masters.

One of them appeared to be Master Ytalha. He then recognized Masters Aza, Usdiia, and Phob. As he got closer, he could see them engaged in what appeared to be a somber dialogue.

Reaching the top, he waited just out of earshot for a meeting with his master.

"How can I help you, my padawan?" Master Ytalha called out to him. He didn't want to do it like this. He had hoped to speak with his master in private before the issue was addressed in council. Swallowing hard, he made his way to them.

"Master," he pronounced, bowing his head deeply to his master. "Masters," he said, bowing to the others. He searched for the words. He looked to his master, who patiently waited.

"What is it, Padawan?" Master Ytalha asked, sensing Vhinh's unease.

Vhinh shook his head, shamefully. Then he looked up, and met his fears head on. "I've broken our code," he blurted out.

A discerning look crossed Master Ytalha's face. "What offense have you committed?" Master Ytalha appeared to be staring him down.

"I... had a relationship... with a female..." he hung his head again, awaiting his fate.

Master Ytalha only stared at him for a long moment, and it was pure anguish. Slowly shaking his head, he looked to the ground. _Just tell me I've failed you, Master. Sever my braid if you must, but please say something_. Vhinh could only wait.

His master's eyes looked upon him for a second, then looked down again. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he addressed Vhinh. "I cannot convey to you my disappointment at this knowledge, young Skywalker. To have you defy the Jedi codes is unforeseen. You have shown to be one of our most dedicated students, and no doubt with great potential indeed. To see you jeopardize this in order to purse you own personal interests comes as both a shock and an insult."

"I know, Master. I can't excuse these actions. I don't know where my head has been, but I throw myself at your mercy, masters, and beg your leniency. On my honor, it will never happen again."

Master Ytalha turned now to the other Masters. "What say you on this matter, Masters?"

Master Usdiia, a Cathar, spoke now. "This one has much potential, as you say, which can spell danger if misdirected. A slip at this stage of his training can only hint at a volatile personality. Perhaps better if we relieve him, for he may be a great liability." It reeked of the Peacekeeper termination to Vhinh. Not without cause, but tragic nonetheless.

Master Phob, a Rhodian, clearly disagreeing, expressed his thoughts. "If he is indeed a liability as such, would it not be preferable to keep him close at hand, to monitor him and assess these risks? To turn him loose at this point, without our direction may prove an even greater threat."

"Master Ytalha, you have been closest with him during his time with us," Master Aza stated, "It seems there no better being to evaluate his intentions than yourself."

Master Ytalha then let out a sigh. "Yes, my friend, I suspected one of you would reach this conclusion, as I in my heart know it the truth, but I find myself at an impasse. I have known this padawan, but these actions betray what he has shown me in the past." Then he actually appeared to give a weak smile. "I understand, however. He is passionate in all he pursues, independent, and a free thinker as well.

"Those born of the Force, we may seek to control, to mold them into the image we see as truth, as right. But ultimately we may learn a greater lesson from them than that which we could ever instruct. That being said, mistakes have been made in the past, on the part of many, and we must remain vigilant.

"There is truth in what Masters Usdiia and Phob say, as is the way of things. We cannot take an act of defiance lightly, whatever the intentions be. Masters, I trust you will all stand by my decision." The three masters bowed their heads in acknowledgement.

"Vhinh Skywalker, I have no choice but to suspend your trials, until further notice."

Vhinh's jaw dropped. They hadn't excommunicated him, but his trials would be his most important accomplishment up to this point, for which everything he'd done thus far had been in preparation of.

He couldn't argue, though; he'd had it coming. But what now? What would he become? A Padawan, forever?

As if in response, Master Ytalha continued, "There will be no training for you in the next seven days. You are to dedicate this time to deep meditation on minimal rations. You must clear your head; once again find your center. When, or if, your trials are given will depend largely on you, Padawan."

_Padawan_. In light of what may have happened due to his recklessness, it felt good to hear this word again. He was not out, and he would prove himself again.

"Your lightsaber, please," Master Ytalha instructed, holding out his hand. _What?_

His most prized - his _only _- possession? Not only his greatest means of defense, but a symbol of what he was. Exhaling, he reluctantly handed it over. "This, Padawan, is an extension of you. If you are not in harmony with yourself, how can it serve its intended purpose? You must again learn to walk, young Skywalker. Take this not lightly. The outcome may have been much worse for you. Use this time to rebuild your foundation, so you may once again walk the right path."

"Yes, Master" Vhinh said blankly.

He bowed to his masters then and made his way back to his room, intending to immediately begin his sentencing.

Another padawan ran up to the masters as Vhinh was leaving. Before Vhinh could get far, his master summoned him back.

"What is it, Master?"

Wasting no time, Master Ytalha briefed him on the situation. "The cartels have taken Muunilinst. Our presence is required. We must leave at once!'

"We, Master?" Vhinh questioned.

"You are still my padawan, are you not?" Trying to hide his giddy smile, Vhinh nodded his head. Would he finally see some real action? He'd dealt with a few cantina brawlers and chased down an escaped suspect, all while shadowing his master, but their work consisted mostly of mediation, conflict resolution, and diplomatic duties. He couldn't wait to show his master that he was up to the task. As if reading his thoughts, his master added, "Keep your head about you, Vhinh. To crave conflict does not become a Jedi."

"I know, Master, I'm sorry. Um... can I have my lightsaber?"

Master Ytalha only shook his head. "This doesn't change anything, Padawan. You'll need to hone all of your senses, and discover the true power that lies within you. More power than any weapon can give you. Persevere, and you shall come out of this a stronger Jedi than ever before."

Vhinh stared at him incredulously for a moment. His master liked to test him, but this seemed more like a sacrifice! Yet once again, he could only nod in agreement. "Yes, Master Ytalha."

"Zeri, prepare my shuttle for immediate departure," Master Ytalha spoke over his com.

He turned to Vhinh. "Come, young Skywalker. Time to see if you've been paying attention in class."

* * *

For the last day or so, Karta had not left the cabin. After the initial relief of not being turned in, and getting acquainted with her new would-be roommate, she'd come to the realization that she may never see her father again. To contact him would put both of them at risk, as the Tekdaemons would surely be monitoring him.

As long as they knew she may one day try to contact him, it was in their best interest to keep him alive. She marveled at how quickly things can change. One day she was ready to change her ways, and minutes later she was fearing for her life, now a fugitive stowing away with some second-rate bounty hunter.

This, at least, was the overall impression she'd received from listening to Nars' stories and the droid NineHundred's unrequested commentary.

Droids didn't usually lie about their owners - unless it was to protect them, or possibly make them look better, and NineHundred's quips would accomplish neither.

Still, Nars did seem sweet, if a bit delusional - that could just be insecurity, though. At least he had someone, albeit a droid. She had no one anymore.

She missed her father, missed him kissing her goodnight like he used to. Why couldn't things have stayed that way - why couldn't she have just been good? _Because it was boring, that's why. Especially on Government Rock_, as she now almost nostalgically referred to Commenor as.

In retrospect, it hadn't been all bad. She'd had a nice home, a father who loved her. She didn't have to steal speeders, her father would have bought her one.

But no, she remembered, it was the rush that she got from those illicit activities. A rush that she - _am I crazy?_ - still craved, even in light of everything else.

Nars popped his head into the cabin. "Um... are you hungry... Karta?" he asked tentatively.

Out of the blue, during their conversation, she had said she needed to be alone. He had no idea how to deal with teenage girls, especially depressed ones.

_And so it begins_... he'd thought. He was now basically playing foster parent to some troubled child. _Just what I need_.

She hadn't come out for more than a day, and he was too timid to try to talk to her. He didn't know how she could stay in there like this, but he figured he should at least offer her some food - he didn't want her rotting away back there.

Barely hearing Nars' words, Karta only shrugged. Then she caught a whiff of the plate. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten... it had been at least a few days.

Maybe she should try to eat something. In a way she almost wished Nars had come to check on her sooner, even made an attempt to talk to her, but she wasn't about to try and push her problems off on the funny little bounty hunter she'd just met, and it had only now occurred to her that she could have made conversation with the droid had she been desperate enough.

Huddled on the bed, she slowly rose up and scooted back against the wall, holding a hand out to receive Nars's offering.

When she began picking at the food, testing it, finally stuffing a few bites into her mouth, Nars asked, "So, how are you doing?" She only shrugged again.

"Oh." Nars stared at his feet for a moment, then tried again to make conversation. "So that thing on Hethsba, I guess it was some huge chemical spill. Wiped out a big portion of the planet. Yeah..."

She didn't appear to hear him. "Get this, though... a Peacekeeper caused it! Just crashed right into this ginormous tanker!" She actually made eye contact for a second, then went back to selectively choosing each bite from her plate. "Yeah, well, I guess all this stuff that's been happening with the Peacekeepers, the Republic must've finally had enough, cause they just shut down the whole program, laid off all the Peacekeepers."

Now she looked at him intently, but still said nothing, passively chewing. "... And now, as if we don't have enough problems... the cartels have taken Muunilinst."

She then hurriedly gulped down her mouthful. "The cartels?" she inquired.

"Yeah, you know... the Hutts and the Tekdaemons. Guess they're working together or something." Her eyes went wide.

She had thought - just maybe - if she could get ahold of one of her old bosses without being tracked, they might grant her refuge, and find her work. But if they were now in cahoots with the Tekdaemons, well... that plan was out.

"So who are they gonna send, then... to deal with the cartels?" she asked.

"I don't know. The Jedi, I suppose." _Ha! The Jedi _- she almost laughed out loud.

She'd met a few of them with her father at one of his political gatherings. To her they seemed like self-righteous, pretentious fops. Then again, so did most politicians she'd met.

"I heard some of the guild members are talking about joining in." Nars did in fact keep up with the chatterings of the infamous Bounty Hunters Guild through the Holonet.

He was, in fact, a registered member - mostly so he could say he was, but there were benefits. Of course, he received access to the intergalactic database of every registered bounty, legal or not - for a modest fee - though if he didn't find some real work soon, he'd have to let his membership lapse.

Karta set her plate down. "I want to go."

Nars looked at her, confused. "What do you mean, you wanna go? Go where?"

"To Muunilinst. To help out," she declared.

"Uh... are you _mental_? You? I mean..." he didn't mean to be insulting, but - _her_?

"You and me. And NineHundred."

"Okay, you _are _crazy! You and me, and a smart-mouthed droid ship, against a cartel army? Not gonna happen, lady!" He threw up his hands in aggravation.

He was glad to see her perk up a little, but this was ridiculous. Maybe he liked her better when she wasn't talking. He crossed his arms indignantly.

"It wouldn't just be us, Nars! You said, the Jedi and some bounty hunters will be there."

"Uh!" he uttered a whiny protest. "Why?"

"Because I want to do any damage I can to those Tekdaemon _creeps_!" she said, gritting her teeth, her eyes now growing damp.

Nars uncrossed his arms, placing one hand on her shoulder. "Hey, I _get _it, kid. But that's a suicide mission! What chance do we have?"

"Please! Think about it - we don't have to win the whole battle. If we could nab even one or two of them - the crooks who took Muunilinst - you know there'd be a nice bounty involved. Muunilinst has credits."

"Yeah, and then have the Tekdaemons on both of our tails. Sounds great!"

"The other bounty hunters aren't worried, so why are you?"

"Because the _other _bounty hunters are - " he stopped, not knowing a way to finish that sentence and still save face. "Look, _I _might be able to pull something off, but what are you gonna do? You're not an experienced bounty hunter like me."

Karta rolled her eyes. "I know a few tricks. I evaded them for this long, didn't I? And I'm no stranger to the criminal element. Come on,we might not have another chance like this!"

"I don't know, I think we'll probably have plenty of chances like this..."

"It will be okay. _I promise! Pleeeeeease!"_

Nars paced nervously. "Grr! I don't know why I didn't just leave you on Hethsba... Look, if we survive this - and we have to, you _promised _-" he said this more pleadingly than matter-of-factly, "you're stealing me a few speeders, I'm retiring, and you are _never _dragging me into _anything _like this - ever again!"

"Deal," she agreed. "But I don't know why you want to limit yourself like that."

"More like trying to preserve myself, which has become increasingly more difficult since I met you. So, did you have like a plan in mind, or something?"

"We can figure that out on the way," she shrugged.


	8. Chapter 8

**-8-**

* * *

In their shuttle bound for Muunilinst, Vhinh manned the controls as his master looked on. For a long while, they sat in an awkward silence, until Master Ytalha broke it.

"Vhinh, I want you to understand that this offense that you have committed... this does not make you a bad person. We are all prone to these... worldly thoughts and feelings."

But Vhinh _didn't _understand. "Then why were you so hard on me, Master?" _There, _he'd said it. He knew it was warranted, but it was hard for it not to feel like a slap in the face.

"Vhinh... I'm your master. I'm sworn to uphold the values bestowed upon me by the council - by _my _masters. That is a great responsibility. All that I said before the other masters holds true, and I stand by it. However..."

"_However, _Master?" Where was he going with this?

"It is true the Jedi remain very dogmatic, though they have relaxed the code somewhat throughout the many millennia of their known existence. I believe this is because they prefer to error on the side of caution. You must realize our entire structure is highly philosophical. You won't always find all masters in agreement with one another, though we've had largely the same training. In fact, we encourage this, for each individual to pursue his or her own personal growth in mind and body, for if not they could never reach their full potential.

"But we must have _some _kind of structure, for the Jedi teachings also require great discipline. This is why we look upon any violation of the code as a serious offense. Though it is not my place to say, I would not necessarily prohibit personal relationships in one of your age, for instance - possibly in your case, though, as I have seen a decline in your focus as of late."

"I know."

"Love... is a beautiful thing, and a driving force. Without its existence, I believe many of our species would never have thrived. However, it can also be very dangerous, as many do not understand how to truly love. We sentient creatures tend to be very materialistic in nature, we want to hold on to things, yet this is not the way of love. When you love someone, you want to give them the galaxy, but how can you do that by keeping them in one place? When one dies, they truly become one with the Force. But many would deny their loved ones this experience, given a choice. It can be confusing, to be sure, and a difficult concept for most beings to grasp, but it is the way of the Jedi." He could see that Vhinh was struggling with the idea.

"There is a story of a very wise and accomplished Jedi master of old by the name of Liita Rulon. Her husband died in a very tragic way. Upon receiving the news, she shed a tear for the horror he must have gone through, but was smiling again soon after. She knew then that he was at peace, and in fact she recollected feeling his presence next to her even before hearing of his death, and it had comforted her.

"The day of his funeral, she was as spirited as ever, reciting humorous anecdotes of their lives together, even poking a little good-natured fun at her departed spouse, as if he was still right beside her." Vhinh showed a confused frown at this. "You see, padawan, what most forget is that a funeral is meant as a celebration of one's life. She had loved him deeply, hence she had much to celebrate. The tragic way in which he'd died had not changed how he'd lived, and that is what she chose to remember.

"Unfortunately, this was lost on the public. Not being the picture of the grieving widow they'd expected or the epitome of the compassionate Jedi they thought they knew, she was scorned, called horrible things. Someone from the procession had remarked, 'You're glad your husband died!' To this, her simple reply was, 'No, I'm glad he _lived_.' But no one would listen. She was publicly chastised, eventually cast out of her own clan. She died in a secluded place, by herself. But she was never alone.

"Liita Rulon had broken tradition, which is rarely accepted. Generations later, however, her story was told, and it became one of the fundamentals for the way the Jedi viewed relationships. This of course was before they were banned altogether, back in the days of the Old Republic."

"Wow," Vhinh was taken aback. "I never knew that. I don't know if I could do it, Master... completely embrace that way of thinking."

"It's an extreme case, but it conveys an important message about our philosophies." Changing the subject, Master Ytalha asked Vhinh, "This... girl you spoke of... did you love her?"

"I don't know, Master. I think I did. I mean, she was all I could think about from the time I met her. But it's confusing. After we...," he was getting very uncomfortable now, talking about this with his master. It seemed very un-Jedi-like. "Well, when I woke up, after we spent the night together, she was gone... and so were a lot of the feelings I'd had. I mean, it felt different, something was missing, and all I cared about was my training."

Master Ytalha raised his brow. "It can be confusing when you are young, padawan. You are physically a man, but mentally you have much maturity yet to attain."

"Yeah, I guess," Vhinh conceded. But he still felt like it was something more than that. "Did you ever love anyone, Master?" He dared ask the question he'd wondered for quite some time.

"Ho, ho ho!" Master Ytalha let out a hearty laugh. Vhinh had never seen him in such a light-hearted way. "I did, my friend, and still do. She is my wife. I love her more than I could ever love another being."

"You're _married?_" Vhinh was shocked. "But you're always at the temple! How do you do it?"

"I do manage to get away, but my duties consume a great deal of my time. The life of a Jedi is not for everyone. We do not choose the Force, Vhinh. It chooses us, and I feel those chosen have an obligation to serve."

"She must be very understanding, Master."

"Understanding, strong and stubborn. The type of woman that falls in love with a Jedi, I suppose. As I said, ours is an unconventional lifestyle not suited to most. But we feel just as others do."

"I never thought of it that way, Master. Seems like the order doesn't really encourage that."

"Because you must first learn to think as a Jedi, to know how to avoid many of the pitfalls that hold others back. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, I think it does, actually. Thanks for the talk, Master."

Master Ytalha bowed his head. "You'll make a fine Jedi, Vhinh. This I'm sure of."

Vhinh smiled. Then he grew serious as many bright lights and images of conflict drew near.

"Looks like we're approaching Muunilinst. Keep your guard up!" Master Ytalha instructed. Vhinh complied. As they moved closer, all the tiny lights and flashes morphed into utter chaos. On the radar, they could see several of their own Jedi starfighters appearing in light blue, then a huge cluster of everything else.

"Looks like the bounty hunters are here, too," Vhinh asserted, seeing many of the undesignated ships fire on some of the other, larger ships.

"Good," Master Ytalha put in. "We'll need all the help we can get." As they swerved in and out of the fray, avoiding laser fire on both sides, he pointed out the main control terminal building. "They have the hostages in there, that's where the entire system is controlled from. We need to get down there!"

It would be easier said than done, however. Rolling and swaying the ship in every direction to avoid fire, Vhinh increased the ship's boosters, closing in on the ground, but the second they got within 50 meters, they were greeted by a barrage of cannon fire, forcing Vhinh to hastily pull back and reroute.

He circled the battlefield and tried descending from the other direction. Again, he was met by more laser cannon fire, and it took all his enhanced reflexes to outmaneuver these.

"We'll have to try something else!" Master Ytalha shouted over the sounds of the onslaught.

"You think?" Vhinh pulled up, only to find a cartel fighter now on his tail. The fighter sent forth a flurry of laser fire at the Jedi as Vhinh tried to shake him, bobbing and weaving, until one of the bolts clipped his left wing.

He started to utter a curse, but remembered his master beside him and caught himself. He had to keep his cool through this ordeal if he wanted to win back his good standing. An ages old trick, he performed a loupe de loupe, putting him directly behind the pursuer. The pilot, already anticipating this, had tried to veer off in the other direction, but Vhinh was right on him and opened fire.

Two low-energy bolts cascaded out, contacting the fighter, and leaving a few score marks where normally both wings would have been taken off. Barely a warning shot. He should have expected as much from a light shuttle such as this. "We have no firepower! We don't stand a chance up here!"

"In case you hadn't realized, padawan, we're supposed to be ground support on this mission!'

Vhinh flew in and out of the melee, dodging fire from all sides, when finally, he made a 180 and began heading straight for one of the gunships.

"What exactly do you think you are _doing, _padawan?"

"I had an idea. Get ready to eject, Master. And hope they have their shields down."

"Are you -" Before he could finish, Vhinh put the thrusters on full and sharply veered the shuttle around toward the aft section - and straight into it. Master Ytalha was forced to follow Vhinh's directions at the last second - or die.

The tiny shuttle crumpled and exploded upon contact with the gunship, leaving a good-sized hole in its armor. Now in freefall, Vhinh used all his agility and senses to control the path of his descent - right into the hole, and Master Ytalha followed suit.

"_We have a breach in aft section, repeat, breach in aft section!_" they could hear over the ship's intercom once inside. They immediately heard many footsteps rushing toward them. As soon as half a dozen thugs appeared through the entry way, Master Ytalha had his lightsaber drawn, and with a great leap Vhinh bound off the wall near him and his master, sending him flying past the thugs and landing right behind them. He immediately unleashed a roundhouse kick to the chin of the thug directly in front of him, knocking him out cold, followed by simultaneously force-pushing two thugs down with one hand while summoning another's blaster directly to his other hand, using it against him, as Master Ytalha made short work of the remaining thugs by deflecting their own fire into them with his lightsaber.

Upon seeing Vhinh standing there, blaster in hand, his master nearly cringed.

"What?" Vhinh asked innocently. "You never said anything about blasters!"

"Oh, just take the lightsaber," Master Ytalha huffed. He tossed the weapon into the air and Vhinh drew it to his open hand, letting the blaster clatter to the floor.

No sooner had they taken another breath when the next wave of thugs entered, this time twice as many. As his Master disabled a number of them with their own fire, Vhinh already lie in wait behind the entryway, flanking them and knocking the remainder to the floor before they could fire.

They exchanged glances - both with a clear understanding of what had to happen. They needed to take the ship - and quickly. If the thugs sent out a signal that the ship had been hijacked, they would be shot down immediately. There was no way the two of them alone could commandeer and defend the gunship against a fleet of this size.

"Ready?" Master Ytalha asked.

"As ever. You take the rear, I'll take front."

"As you wish, padawan," Master Ytalha agreed, a renewed faith in Vhinh arising already. For as much as he'd lacked in focus recently, he may have made up for it in sheer will. He'd trained hard, and it showed.

The two dashed through the corridor, awaiting the encounter at the other end. There was no turning back now.

* * *

"Uh, I don't think we're in the right place, guys," Nars said upon seeing the approaching madness.

"Muunilinst, a mid-sized world in the Braxant Run, population 9.3 billion," NineHundred chimed in.

"Did I ask you?" Nars barked, exasperated.

"Will you guys knock it off?" Karta scolded. "Come on, we have work to do!"

"And your plan is...," Nars questioned.

"Well, let's see what this thing can do! Got any artillery?"

"Uh..."

"Yes, Ms. Oblith," NineHundred cut in, "I am equipped with two high-powered laser turrets, one upper and one lower. However, I would need to perform a brief system check, as there is no record of their operation since my last memory wipe."

"Eh, heheh...," Nars grinned meekly.

"What do you even _do _for a living?" Karta cracked.

"We- _Hey!" _Nars objected. This was humiliating, being teamed up on by a teenager and a droid.

"Weapons systems operational," NineHundred announced.

"Perfect. NineHundred, can you perform evasive maneuvering and give us a few good shots?"

"My nav computer does have that capability, Ms. Oblith."

"Alright. Come on, let's shoot some bad guys!" Karta called out, already headed for the lower turret. Then she stopped abruptly. "Oh, you know how to do that, right? You just point and push that little button."

Nars was fuming at this point, "Alright, now you listen, y-"

"I'm just teasing, man!" She gave him a warm smile. "Come on!"

The two strapped in, fingers on triggers. NineHundred's advanced nav computer was easily able to avoid fire from every direction, and its advanced logic chip quickly determined which were friendly's and which were bogeys, based on a number of factors including ship registry, battle dynamics, and, the more obvious, who was shooting at them.

It then indicated this information clearly on their radar screen, with friendly's in light blue, enemies in red.

_How hard can this be? _Nars thought. _Make fun of me, huh? We'll see about that. Okay, so these dots are the good guys, these are the bad guys... _

As soon as he had a shot, Nars squeezed the trigger several times in succession... and hit the wrong fighter. _Noooo! What have I done? I killed on of the good guys!_

_"_Good shot, Nars!" came Karta's voice from below.

"Bu-huh?!" he exclaimed.

"That was you that just shot down that cartel fighter, wasn't it?"

"Um... _YEAH! _You really thought I never used this thing before?" _Okay, blue is good guys, _red _is bad. Better use the lock-on next time._

Karta actually seemed to fare much better. Keeping tabs on all the enemies around her, she waited for NineHundred's maneuvers to put one of them in proximity of her sights, lined up, locked on, and unleashed searing hot death from below.

"Take that, you _bastard,_" she bit out. _Wow, that was actually very therapeutic. What's _wrong _with me? I'm as bad as them. Well, I guess that's the galaxy we live in._

She turned her focus back to the battle, and easily took out another. Without NineHundred's near-flawless piloting, she knew it wouldn't be going as smoothly, but she could still tell she had a natural talent for shooting.

A couple minutes later, she heard Nars' voice calling out. "Hey Karta, I got one! Another one, I mean!"

_Well, maybe not, _she thought."Good job!"

These fighters wouldn't be so bad, she mused, if it weren't for those gunships. They seemed to be preventing ships from bringing the fight to the ground, and now and then they'd turn their laser cannons on an unsuspecting ship and obliterate it. Then she noticed that one of the gunships had a smoking hole in its aft side. A very large hole.

As she turned her attention to it for a moment, she saw it slowly begin to descend. What in the infinite was it doing?

* * *

As they reached the end of the corridor, Vhinh and his master were immediately welcomed by blaster fire. Master Ytalha was already deflecting blaster bolts as Vhinh, from a running start, leapt high overhead toward a large group of cartel members.

Landing with a triple roll, he came to a halt right next to the group, slamming both hands to the floor with unprecedented force, sending a shock wave across the entire room that hurled the whole group through the air and had his master on the other side of the room bracing himself against a nearby wall.

The two jedi looked at each other in bewilderment, Vhinh gazing at his own hands as if they belonged to someone else. This was short lived, though, as the thugs quick to recover already had their blasters turned on Master Ytalha, who was easily able to send the bolts back to their owners, making sure they wouldn't be used again.

One thug made a mad dash for the com station, but Vhinh, seeing his intent, reached out his hand, grabbing the thug's leg at a distance with invisible tendrils and snapping him back like a slingshot into the opposite wall.

Vhinh already had his lightsaber drawn to assist his master with the next wave of blaster fire, and more fell to their deadly defenses. This all transpired in less than a minute, and a few remaining thugs, the smart ones, now offered their blasters to the jedi in unconditional surrender. As the jedi systematically disarmed every cartel member, Master Ytalha commented, "That went fairly well. Now let's see if we can get this thing on the ground."

As Vhinh abruptly headed for the controls, his master added, "Gently." Vhinh held up his hands and made a confused face as if to imply that was the only way he was capable of doing anything. Moments later, the large gunship began its slow descent toward the surface of Muunilinst.

"_Rabid Vinecat, come in! Why in white hot blazes are you dropping altitude?" _came a voice over the com.

Master Ytalha, cupping one hand over his mouth to muffle his words and using his best street accent, replied, "Uh, we got some technical stuff goin' on, crew is lookin' at it right now. We gonna provide ground control till they get her back up and runnin'."

Vhinh couldn't help but turn and raise an eyebrow at his master's convincing, yet uncouth, performance. He'd never imagined his master sounding that way.

"_Okay, keep us posted on your progress, and work fast! We might need to get that com checked, too, you sound like nerf dung!" _Master Ytalha frowned at this, as if taking personal offense, and Vhinh chuckled.

"Focus, Vhinh!" his master shot back. The gunship continued its descent under Vhinh's guidance, finally coming to a safe, if clumsy, landing. Vhinh had to give himself credit, it wasn't bad for a first time piloting a ship this size, especially with no crew. "Excellent. Now come on, we must get to the main control terminal building!"

"Hold on, Master. I think I can get a little more use out of this thing first. Help me man the laser cannons."

"I'm not entirely sure about this," Master Ytalha expressed, but he went along with it anyway. Vhinh's methods had proven successful thus far. They manned the ship's two massive laser cannons, and Vhinh's master called out, "What did you have in mind, padawan?"

"Thought we might even the score a little. Let's see if we can give one of the other gunships a hard time."

Aiming for the nearest gunship, they opened fire in unison, doing heavy damage.

"_Rabid Vinecat, come in! You're firing on friendlies!" _came the almost instantaneous reaction. "_Redirect fire immediately, do you copy?" _They both looked at the com, faintly amused. "_Rabid Vinecat, respond!"_

_"_Here's your response!" Vhinh said as he sent more powerful beams directly into one of the ship's repulsors, Master Ytalha turning his fire on the ship's thrusters.

"_Rabid Vinecat gone rogue, take them down, repeat, take them down!"_

But it was too late for their target, as the gunship quickly lost altitude, careening toward the ground below. The impact on the ground was like a worldquake to the city, shooting fire and debris every which way.

The third gunship, along with several fighters, wasted no time in turning their fire on Rabid Vinecat.

"And that's our cue to go," Vhinh called out, both jedi scrambling for the ship's exit, dragging cartel members to their feet on the way.

Bolt after bolt battered the ship, shaking the walls around them. Arriving at the entrance, they flung the remaining thugs toward the ground before they both sprung out, just as the entire ship became enveloped in a huge ball of fire.

"Quickly," Master Ytalha called out, motioning for Vhinh, as they finally began their trek to the control terminal building.

* * *

"Oh, my stars!" Karta exclaimed, entranced by the display put on by the two jedi. "Those gunships are killing each other."

"Well, better them than us," Nars responded.

"Yeah, well, let's help them finish the job! NineHundred, will you buzz around that last gunship for awhile?"

"Yes, Ms. Oblith."

"I know I sound like a broken datacorder, but are you _crazy?_" Nars protested.

"NineHundred can handle it, can't you, Nine?"

"There will be more variables to calculate, but my navcomputer should have no trouble, Ms. Oblith." NineHundred began circling the remaining gunship, and it appeared some of the jedi and bounty hunters had the same idea.

Each pass NineHundred made, Karta tried to make every shot count. Nars got the idea, and backed her up, as well. NineHundred was flying more evasively, as one shot from the gunship's high-powered laser cannon could end their tactics quickly. It was hard to get a good, accurate shot, but they had a much bigger target, so most of their shots at least made contact.

The gunship had apparently activated its shields, as the shots seemed to be harmlessly absorbed... but the shields couldn't hold out forever.

Now several starfighters had joined in the assault, harassing the large gunship, taking every shot they could. The gunship managed to pick off a couple, the cartel fighters coming to its aid as well, though they seemed to do as much harm as good, some of their missed shots actually colliding with the gunship itself.

Slowly, the gunship's shields began to give out, as score marks began appearing on its surface, then tiny bursts of flame, until finally an entire section of the ship caught fire. The gunship kept up the desperate counter fire, but at this point it was futile, with nearly a dozen fighters now swarming around it, pounding it from all sides.

Flames began crawling up both sides of the ship, and its exposed framework glowed orange. The fighters kept on it, and then, finally, the gunship could take no more. It exploded in a brilliant flash, bringing temporary daylight back to the early evening sky of Muunilinst.

Every jedi and bounty hunter pilot collectively rejoiced, and the hoots and hollers could practically be heard through the air. The battle wasn't close to over, but the odds now leaned much more in their favor.

"But why haven't the cartels sent out reinforcements?" Karta wondered out loud.

"You're complaining?" Nars asked in disbelief.

"Of course not. It's just weird. With all their resources, they could easily afford to send out three fleets of this size, if not more. It's almost like this is a demonstration."

In the world of politics, this was commonplace. A show of power, in order to make a point, could often be just as effective as use of force. "But what point are they trying to make?"

Nars whizzed his hand past the top of his head, signifying these dynamics were either lost on him, or he simply didn't care. He knew nothing of politics, he just knew the good guys and the bad guys, there was no grey for him. If it wasn't direct and forthright, he didn't want to hear about it.

Karta saw this glimpse of child-like innocence and longed to relive it. Now she wondered, had she been more corrupted by her exposure to the political world or the criminal world. Was there a difference?

* * *

The jedi could see the main control terminal building, and they could also see an impressive garrison surrounding it. It must have been over a hundred men, wall to wall, front to back. They could fight their way through. They _could. Possibly. _

But even the most powerful jedi in the galaxy would be foolish to test those odds, if there was another option. Having spent as much time with him as he had, Vhinh knew this was what his master would say. And, as tempting as it was to rise to this challenge, he knew his master would have been right.

"So what do we do?" he asked.

"We can't move forward, we certainly can't turn back, so that leaves but two possible paths."

Vhinh hated riddles. "Well... we just _came _from _above, _so_..." _Vhinh's eyes followed his master's finger, as it slowly traced a path, finally pointing straight down to a nearby sewer grate.

Vhinh's head sunk. They made their way to the grate, gripping it together and lifting it off to reveal only a dark hole. "Part of the prestige of the jedi trade, huh?"

"The prestige is in being able to do good in the universe, padawan."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." He couldn't ever just complain. His master was always so calm and accepting about everything.

Vhinh wondered if he was like that at home. It would have to drive his wife crazy. _I wonder if he uses the Force to win fights with is wife. _At this thought, Vhinh couldn't help but laugh out loud a little, amusing himself.

"Is something funny, padawan?"

"Oh, uh, no. Sorry, master, I was just thinking to myself."

"Well, try to limit your thoughts to those related to the task at hand. We've no time to waste."

"Yes, master."

"After you." Master Ytalha motioned to a ladder leading into the dark abyss. Vhinh obediently stepped down and began his descent.

"So, Master, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"As always, padawan, I encourage it."

"Okay, uh... well, do you and your wife ever fight?"

"Why would I fight one that I love?"

"Come on! I mean, it's what people do... in relationships. They get mad at each other."

"I've learned to control my anger, Vhinh. This is a very rudimentary part of our training."

"So is your wife a jedi, too?"

"No."

"Well, she must get mad sometimes. Don't you ever piss her off?"

Master Ytalha smiled at this. "Well, I certainly try to avoid it if I can, young one. Anger is a natural emotion that we're all susceptible to, but without something to feed it, it quickly dissolves."

Reaching the bottom of the ladder, they both activated their lightsabers, which helped to illuminate the pitch black path, and continued on their way. Several rat-like creatures and a few flying reptilians scattered at the sight and sound.

"Well, what about the Sith? I mean, they always had all this hatred for the Jedi, and they would feed off their anger. So what if the Jedi had left them alone, would they have just gone away?" He knew it was a stupid question, but it had its points.

"The Sith, my friend, fed off the dark side of the Force, which fed off their anger, forming a vicious cycle. That is why so many Jedi have fallen. It can be a very hard cycle to break once it has started. Power can be very seductive, and the dark side fulfills that desire well... but not without a price. A Sith can never know true happiness, for the greed consumes them, and they always desire more, never satisfied with what they have. The Jedi and Sith are like two opposing forces of nature. Like the positive and negative ions in the energy we use, like creation and destruction, like life and death; there are a near infinite number of comparisons. Neither could exist without the other, for ultimately each will occur in time."

"So the Jedi represent life and the Sith represent death?" Vhinh said, an obvious comparison.

"Or is it the other way around? For death is surrender, death is acceptance, death is the end of taking. Life is constantly taking in order to sustain, feeding off other life, wanting. But does that mean either is right or wrong?"

"I'm confused now, Master."

"Quite understandable, padawan. Now imagine if the Jedi laid down and let the Sith take what they would. The galaxy would be a very dark place indeed, and I suspect not long for the universe. Without that opposing force, we as Jedi would have no purpose. If not the Sith then some other evil in the universe, for it comes in many forms. Now, unlike the Sith, who see only one way, we have learned the need for this balance. We recognize it, we adapt, and we bend. But we never break. This is why our teachings can be so open to interpretation, Vhinh. But we all share some important beliefs, those which most of us have already known from a very young age. Our morals, one thing that a Jedi would never bend on."

Vhinh pondered this for a moment. "But what if we had to? I mean, if it came to that? You said we have to adapt, well what if there was a situation that required us to rethink our morals?"

"It would be a sad day, padawan, but I suppose anything is possible." Again, Vhinh's master surprised him with his unrelenting acceptance.

Reaching a point they judged to be somewhere under the main control building, they saw a large pipe leading up.

"Hmm, I wonder where that goes," Vhinh said sarcastically. Without waiting for the inevitable instruction, Vhinh proceeded to climb the pipe up to the sewer's ceiling.

"Hope no one is using the fresher," he said, unsheathing his lightsaber and digging it into the ceiling around the pipe.

"Careful, Vhinh. We don't need to draw attention." So Vhinh patiently sunk his weapon deeper into the ceiling, avoiding sparks and molten slag dripping from the opening.

Still feeling resistance after sinking his lightsaber in halfway to the hilt, he commented, "Man, how thick are these floors, anyway?" Finally, he felt a little give at the end. "There we go. Now to make an entrance."

He looked down at his master, grinning. "Make an entrance?"

Master Ytalha didn't respond.

"Nothing, really?" Vhinh shrugged. "Focus, padawan," he said in a gruff, mock-serious tone.

Guiding the blade around to form a large glowing hot arc, he called out before completing the circle, "Clear!" seconds before a steaming, thick slab of durasteel came crashing down to the sewer floor, making a large splash that got Vhinh wet and his master soaked. "Well, if they didn't hear that, they're not paying attention."

"We must move quickly," Master Ytalha urged, making his way up the pipe behind Vhinh. The two carefully squeezed through the hole, avoiding the still-smoking edges, and climbed into the fresher above. Seeing or hearing no sign of activity nearby, they momentarily relaxed.

"Well, we're in," Vhinh proclaimed.

* * *

As the battle in the air drew to a close, the Jedi and bounty hunters gradually gaining ground, a few of the pilots of the smaller fighters had the idea to make life miserable for the garrisoned cartel members outside the main control terminal building.

Swooping down with multiple hit-and-runs, the starfighters made the group repeatedly scatter to avoid fire. The group collective turned their blasters on the engaging fighters, but they were too quick and any bolts from their hand-held blasters did little if any damage to the armor of the fighters.

Karta watched this spectacle with amusement. Then she had an idea. "NineHundred, can you get down there and make a few passes in front of the building?"

"There is enough clearance to accommodate the ship's width, however it would leave little room for any maneuvering," NineHundred stated.

"Perfect," she grinned.

"Uh, yeah, hi, ship's captain here... just wondering who put you in charge," Nars probed.

"Well, I don't hear _you _coming up with any ideas. What are your orders, captain?"

After a long silence, Nars finally conceded, "Carry on, NineHundred."

Karta shook her head. NineHundred dove down toward the planet's surface, turning sharply to line up directly between the front of the main control terminal building and another adjacent building.

"Now get really low to the ground, and make a few passes!" Karta directed. NineHundred perfectly executed the instructions, leaving only a few feet of clearance between the ship and the ground, and little to no clearance on either side. The garrisoned troops looked on in horror as the ship came careening toward them.

Many tried to run, some were quick enough to duck, and still others were caught by the ship's wings, now hanging on for dear life as the ship ascended in order to turn around for another pass.

"Go even lower this time!" was Karta's next command. So, on the next pass, NineHundred practically skimmed the surface below, leaving mere inches between the ship and the ground.

The thugs didn't even try to duck this time. Some tried to jump or run away, some of the lucky ones were close enough to the entrance to duck inside, but some were separated from their lower legs most unclimactically. Karta and Nars both cringed at the sight, but that was what bionic surgery was for, after all.

When NineHundred prepared for another pass, one of the thugs yelled, "Inside!" and the remainder quickly complied. Seizing the opportunity, many of the Jedi and bounty hunter pilots now touched down, closing in on the entrance on foot, lightsabers and blasters drawn. The thugs weren't coming out that way. "Now to the other side!" Karta yelled to NineHundred.

NineHundred pulled up and made its way toward the other side of the building, but many of the thugs on that side had already ran or ducked into the entrance, having heard the terrified screams of the previous onslaught. More fighters emerged from the overhead battle to cover the entrance, effectively trapping the thugs in the building like womp rats in a cave.

"Got you now, you scum," Karta growled.


	9. Chapter 9

**-9-**

Before they could navigate to the main control room, Vhinh and Master Ytalha heard a horde of footsteps coming from a nearby hallway.

"They must have heard us. Be on guard," Master Ytalha warned. They had heard hints of the commotion outside, but had no idea what had transpired, however they assumed it was for the worse and not the better. When the footsteps abruptly stopped, they waited, but still nothing.

"Guess they don't know where we are. Should we check it out?" Vhinh inquired.

"We may have to, the control room is that way. Quietly, though. Better to avoid conflict if we can help it."

So they made their way silently down the hall, stopping at the corner, listening. They heard frantic voices down the hall, but they weren't getting any closer. They appeared to be congregated in one area. Then came the sounds of blaster fire, followed by a response coming from the outside. They realized at this moment that the Jedi and bounty hunters outside had reached the ground, and now they were pushing the cartel back!

* * *

Fighting to push through a chokepoint, the Jedi and bounty hunters outside faced some initial difficulty, but fortunately the narrow hallways made it hard for the cartel members to adequately cover the entrance, and when a few bold Jedi breached the opening, this gave others behind them an opportunity, and they followed closely behind. The congested halls quickly became the scene of a close quarter bloodbath, as the leading Jedi frantically deflected blaster bolts from numerous angles, many at point-blank range, while intermittently taking swipes at adjacent cartel members with their lightsabers. With an amazing flurry of thrusts and parries, the Jedi managed to gain some ground, but with utter chaos manifesting all around them, it was a small victory as the inevitable happened. One of the Jedi, Egris Tolek, a Mon Calamari master, was struck down in the madness. With no time to mourn for their fallen comrade, another Jedi quickly pushed through and took her place, and the violence persisted. With each fallen cartel member, another of the Jedi or bounty hunters entered the melee, tipping the odds ever so slightly more in their favor. Stepping over bodies to get anywhere, the Jedi reluctantly kept up the grim assault.

"We have you surrounded, and you are losing ground! It's only a matter of time, please concede so no more must die needlessly!" pleaded Jedi knight Luka Harlin, yelling over the cacophony of blaster fire, limb-severing lightsaber slashes and screams. But the cartel members chose not to accept this offering. "I can't do this, master! It is too much senseless killing!"

His master, Gedoro Simbalu, responded, "There are fifty innocent hostages whose lives are in our hands, padawan!"

"And the lives of these men, master? And if they should have families?"

"They've made their choice, padawan!" his master snapped hastily. "Now press on!"

But as the Jedi knight looked into some of the uncovered faces of the men about to meet their slaughter, the determination, the sense of purpose - was gone, replaced with only bleak resignation. Nothing about this was right. It was as if these men already knew their fate, but had no choice in the matter. Wherever the Jedi had gone wrong, whatever missing element there was, he could no longer be part of this. "I'm sorry, Master!" he screamed, and above all the disorder, it was the only thing his master could hear at that moment - an acknowledgement from his student - not accusational, not entirely apologetic, but longing. Then he watched as his padawan deactivated his lightsaber and let it slip from his hand, a sign of surrender in a merciless battle. As the lightsaber hit the floor, so did he, and his master watched it all, frozen, while the room continued moving in slow motion. A thousand thoughts and images swam through his head in an instant, and then he was jarred back into the present as quickly as he'd left it.

* * *

"Should we help them?" Vhinh inquired, hearing the distant sounds of conflict now drawing closer, recognizing the hum of lightsabers, and even thinking he may have heard familiar voices crying out.

"Perhaps we should." Master Ytalha had heard the sounds, too, and it didn't seem good. Racing down the hall and around a corner, they saw a mass of cartel members in close quarters, steadily back-stepping down the hall in their direction.

"Hey!" Vhinh called out, and those on the end now turned their attention to the two Jedi.

"They're tryin' to box us in! Take 'em out!" one called out, and with that, blaster fire rained down on the Jedi. They sent it right back toward the cartel, standing their ground, another thug taking the place of each one fallen. Soon, they heard another group of footsteps, coming from down the hall where Vhinh and his master had been moments before, growing closer. Another wave of thugs then appeared from around the corner, closing in on the two Jedi, who now stood back to back, each covering blaster fire from one side. They could hear the sounds of lightsabers and blaster fire from behind the second group, indicating the other Jedi and the bounty hunters had in fact pushed the cartel back, all the way into the building, herding them like nerfs, and now Vhinh and Master Ytalha were caught right in the middle!

* * *

"Come on, Nars, let's go pick up a few stragglers!" said Karta, as NineHundred touched down soon after the aerial attack. The battle in the skies was all but finished, and she had, after all, promised they'd take home a few trophies. "You got any heat?"

"Huh?"

"A _blaster! _Do you _have _one?"

"Uh, _yeah! _Why wouldn't I?" Nars asked, as if the very question was preposterous.

"Well, grab it, then... and your med kit- I need a dressing or something."

"Are you hurt?" he asked, wondering what he'd missed.

"Just _grab _it, will you?"

Nars returned in a few minutes with the requested items, which Karta quickly relieved him of. She took the dressing and, tucking in her hair under her collar, began wrapping her entire face, save for her eyes. As Nars looked on quizzically, she said, "Can't be too careful, can we? I _am _a wanted woman, after all. Seeing Karta with the blaster, he protested, "but what am I gonna do? I only have the one."

"This will be quick and to the point," she assured. "You just grab a few restraints, stay by me, and we'll be out of here in no time, counting our credits!" Nars was tempted to insist on handling the blaster himself, but she seemed so confident and determined that his natural inclination was just to follow her lead.

Upon exiting the ship, they noticed a single cruiser, descending upon the top of the main control terminal building. _That's odd, _Karta thought, _where were they when all the action was going on? And what are they planning on doing from up there? _She quickly dismissed it, though. One more thing on the list and they could get out of here. To where, she didn't know, but none of that mattered right now.

The streets now looked much different, with flaming wreckage, furls of smoke, and the occasional body strewn about. Having cleaned up the majority of the cartel survivors on the outside, the Jedi and bounty hunters had moved on to join the conflict within. But the battlefield wasn't completely deserted. Karta saw a cartel member emerging from around the corner of the building, sneaking toward the entrance, apparently trying to get the jump on his rivals inside.

"Hold it!" called Karta as she raised her blaster, training it on him. She expected him to freeze, dropping his blaster and making for easy prey, but instead he turned swiftly, firing off a few wild shots in their direction. Caught off-guard, Karta stumbled back, dropping her blaster, and Nars took off in the other direction, seeking cover. The shots had harmlessly whizzed by, but now Karta was without a weapon, frantically scurrying back behind a pile of debris, the thug's next wave of shots narrowly missing her leg.

"Well, Karta, you had to get cocky. Now what are you gonna do? You're fragged," she scolded herself. From behind the debris, she could hear him approaching, obviously to finish her off. At least she'd taken some of them with her. When he appeared from over the wreckage, he paused.

"Wow... thought you sounded young. You're just a kid, aren't you," he laughed.

She decided at that moment she would go out with a bang. She quickly began removing the dressing from her face, while the thug looked on, puzzled. "A little girl, huh? Okay, well, guess you shouldn't be playing with grownups." He raised is blaster, preparing to end her.

"Not just any little girl, _scum_. Karta Oblith," she glared at him defiantly. It felt good to come out of hiding, though she knew it wouldn't last long. "I believe I'm wanted by your affiliates. You can tell your bosses that I helped take out about a dozen of your men, including a few starfighters and a gunship, and it felt _so good! _Maybe you guys shouldn't be messing with little girls, _jerk!_"

"Ha! Oh, I'll be sure to tell my bosses. Hope it was worth it, because it sure didn't end well for you, did it? Say goodbye, _Karta Oblith_."

Karta closed her eyes, expecting to never open them again.

* * *

As the body count increased, the Jedi became ever more disillusioned among the growing darkness, yet they fought on. The two groups moving steadily toward them from opposite directions, Vhinh and Master Ytalha had to utilize all their skills and reflexes to defend against the seemingly endless barrage of fire. They both knew they could last if they didn't make any mistakes.

"This isn't right, Master! They can't win, even if they kill us both! What are they trying to do?"

"I wish I knew, Vhinh. They are defending the main control room at all costs, but ultimately there is nothing to be gained!"

"Surrender!" Vhinh yelled at the approaching horde. "Come on!" he shouted as more fell to his defenses. He was starting to get angry - angry that they refused to see reason, angry that they were putting him in this position - angry that he had to stand there and watch them die, one by one. But he wouldn't show it. He would control it, remembering what his master had said - it is a natural emotion, but without something to feed it, it quickly dissolves. He had to take a page from his master's book, and accept where he was at this moment. If he'd had this day to relive, he would have chosen a different course, but right now he could only endure. So he released himself, not thinking, not feeling, but becoming an empty vessel, allowing the Force to guide his actions. The cartel members would not let up, despite more attempts at garnering a concession. They fought to the last man. To the verylast man. Vhinh purposefully deflected the lone survivor's blaster bolts harmlessly away from him, allowing his comrades an opportunity to move in and take him alive. But, seeing their intent, he turned the blaster on himself before they had a chance.

There they stood then, the victors in this morbid contest, but to the Jedi, it felt like a great defeat. The room was silent now, save for the steady hum of lightsabers, and even that seemed to resonate a sad note.

"Come on. To the main control room," said Master Ytalha blankly. The group trod on, stepping over their fallen victims. Of those who walked away from the encounter, many partly wished they hadn't.

* * *

Karta wondered what it would feel like to die by a blaster to the head. A gaping, smoking hole where her face had once been, an impossible deformation to imagine having done to her. Hopefully it would be so quick she wouldn't feel anything. No one shot in the head point blank with a blaster ever screamed - but maybe their brain still worked long enough to send the signal of pain before shutting down completely - a last remnant of a once functional, synchronous unit. _Wow, these are my last thoughts. _And they persisted. Then she realized he'd never pulled the trigger, but there was a muffled choke followed by a faint buzzing sound coming from where he'd stood.

She opened her eyes just in time to see him, staring down at her wide-eyed, then toppling to the ground beside her. There, in his place, stood Nars, holding a stunner and wearing almost the same expression the thug had worn as he'd fallen.

"Hey," he said, giving her a weak smile.

"Hey," she said, a new familial affection in her voice.

"I, uh, remembered to turn down the juice, so he should still be alive. We might be able to get some creds for him."

"You're not such a bad bounty hunter. Maybe I shoulda given _you _the blaster."

"Naw," he waved his hand dismissively. "You handled yourself pretty well today, kid. I just have one request, though..."

"What's that?"

"Can we _please _pack up and go now? That last one was way too close for my liking."

She knew just what he meant - he didn't have to say it. "Well, I guess I owe you that much."

* * *

They approached the main control room cautiously. There, they gathered outside the entryway, and it was Master Ytalha who first addressed the room. "We have taken the building! It's over, you cannot win this battle!"

"Maybe we already have, Jedi," a snide voice replied. "We got two blasters on every head in this room. We see so much as a lightsaber or a cute little brown robe cross that entryway, and I ain't gotta tell ya what'll happen."

"Why don't you come out and die like the rest of your friends instead of hiding in there like cowards?!" Vhinh yelled out bitterly, his voice cracking slightly. Master Ytalha placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

"Uh, that would be a _no_! This is working out just fine for us right here," the voice replied.

"_Frag_ this!" screamed Ultahu, a hulking Klatoonian bounty hunter. "I say we storm in there and annihilate these bottom feeders right now!" He moved toward the door. Several of the other bounty hunters voiced their agreement.

"No," Vhinh said, putting up his hand. "You heard what they said. No one enters that room."

"Hey, Jedi, we didn't go through all this just to give up! There's gonna be casualties - that's on _them_! We came to make sure the job got done, so if you can't handle it...," a second bounty hunter spoke up. The other bounty hunters grew tense, ready to spring for the entrance.

"Look, genius, if we were gonna go about it that way, we could've just dropped a few proton torpedoes and called it a day. We wouldn't need _you_ here for that. Enough lives have been lost today, and I'll die myself before I see another lost. So...," with that, he stepped between the group and the entryway, hands at his side, and bowed his head.

The bounty hunters hesitated for a long moment. The other Jedi tensed now, hands on lightsabers. Finally, the bounty hunters stood down. "So what next then, Jedi?" Ultahu growled nastily.

"We see what their demands are," Master Ytalha answered.

Before he could continue, however, they heard a faint hissing sound from above, soon to be followed by gasps, exclamations and screams coming from the control room, immediately followed by the sounds of bodies and blasters hitting the floor. At that point, they saw the light blue cloud beginning to flow out of the control room.

"Nanote gas!" cried one of the Jedi. As many of the bounty hunters had already begun to flee, the Jedi were hesitant, considering the many hostages within.

"They'll be fine!" called Master Simbalu. Nanote gas, a synthetic vapor, was engineered to travel directly to the central nervous system, temporarily intercepting only enough oxygen particles to render a subject unconscious. It contained another agent which would prolong the unconsciousness for about a half hour. It was primarily used as an anesthesia for major surgical procedures, and was found to be completely safe with no known side effects. Not only was it safe, but it worked extremely well, and it worked extremely fast. "Head for your vessels and don your on-board breathing apparatuses, and we'll meet back here. Quickly!" The group followed the advice and hastened back to their ships.

By the time the Jedi, along with many of the bounty hunters, returned to the control room to aid the hostages, they found four masked figures already in the room and an open air duct in the ceiling. The masked figures were already restraining the cartel members. One of them addressed the group.

"We'll take it from here, Jedi. Too little too late, as they say," he said and let out a little chuckle. Three of them continued systematically slapping restraints on the cartel members, while the fourth made his way to the hostages, holding a small device in front of each one's mouth, which brought them instantly out of their slumber. The device was most likely loaded with anthorin, a known counter-active to the nanote gas. Many of the hostages awakened very disoriented and fearful, at first, but upon seeing the others around them, awakening as well, the cartel members in restraints, and the presence of the Jedi, they soon relaxed, puzzled at exactly what had transpired.

The Jedi were somewhat skeptical of the situation. Where had these four 'saviors' come from. Who were they, and why hadn't they come in with the rest of the group? Undoubtedly their tactics had been effective, and the Jedi were of course thankful the ordeal was over. Something didn't seem right, though. The Jedi began helping the hostages to their feet, offering comforting words. Many of the hostages were more concerned with getting the system back online than with their own well-being - theirs was a critical responsibility, and they recognized it as such. Once they had the system back up and running, they heartily thanked the Jedi, and, of course, the four masked figures, who only identified themselves as bounty hunters, for bringing the terrifying situation to an end.

The press began arriving shortly, having already been covering the day's events from a distance. It was soon revealed that the four masked bounty hunters had been behind the eventual liberation of the control room, and they were given high accolades for both their efficiency and ingenuity. The Jedi, too, as well as the other bounty hunters, were also given praise for their hand in the skirmish, however it had been touched on by more than one member of the press that there had been unnecessary brutality, and the day could have ended with less bloodshed. A few of the bounty hunters became enraged at this, saying things like, 'It was them or us!' or 'You don't know how things played out, you weren't there!', while the Jedi were evenly tolerant, having already tormented themselves with that very belief.

"Even if we had done things differently, what would those four bounty hunters have done once inside the building with it surrounded by the cartel?" Vhinh asked his master, not feeling the criticism was deserved.

"I don't know, Vhinh. But it is much too late to speculate on these things. What's done is done, and there is truth in what the press have said. A difficult situation indeed, but we must take what we can from it."

"Sometimes it's hard to be the good guys, huh, master?"

Master Ytalha regarded Vhinh, giving a reassuring smile and placing a hand on his shoulder. "But always worth it, padawan."

* * *

Notes: Thank you again for your considered support! One more chapter left in this act, then on to the second. As always, I am dying to know your thoughts, so please take just a moment to write a review, good or bad, every word is helpful!

Star Wars names and concepts are owned by Lucasfilm and used for creative purposes only.  
Original names and concepts created by Tony Mancosu. Cover art by Tony Mancosu.


	10. Chapter 10

**-10-**

Boarding the ship with their new detainee in tow, Nars and Karta laughed and joked like old friends. A near death experience is always a great ice-breaker.

"Hey, NineHundred, look what Nars caught! You should have seen him out there!" she called out to the inorganic presence.

"Yup. Handled it like the pro that I am, so suck on that, NineHundred," he boasted.

"Yeah, NineHundred, suck on that," Karta backed up Nars. She giggled.

NineHundred had no response to the double-team. The two looked at each other. Karta went stiff and robotic. "Computing... computing...," she said, mocking NineHundred. They both laughed. All this Karta did for Nars's benefit, feeling maybe he deserved a break. The two had given him a hard time earlier, and she was grateful to him for being there when it mattered most. He really was a decent guy overall.

They ended up getting a small bounty for the captured thug, who was actually a known member of one of the Hutt cartel's many subsidiaries. Karta reflected on the fact that had things been different, she and him would have been on the same side. But after all she'd been through, scared for her life, running from the Tekdaemons, and then coming upon an unlikely new ally with Nars Free'ta, she really didn't have any desire to go back to her old way of life and be part of that element. She felt happy now, for the first time in days, though she didn't know how long it would last. Where could she really go? The Tekdaemons were everywhere, after all, and it was all she could do to evade them for a short time. She ambled over to Nars, who was lounging in the cockpit, finally able to relax after all the ferment. "So, where are we headed to now?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied, barely moving. "Thought I might take a few days off, y'know. Kinda clear my head a little."

"And then...,"

He turned his head to face her. "Well, business as usual, I guess. Though I might try to avoid more delinquent teens," he teased.

"Funny." She looked on for a few moments, thinking. "Y'know, I'm glad you found me. I mean besides the fact that you may have saved my life by showing up on Hethsba when you did."

Nars gave her a kind smile. "I'm glad I found ya too, kid. Aside from dragging me into all that unspeakable horror, you're not so bad to have around."

"So you'll be doing this for awhile, huh? The bounty hunting gig?"

"I don't know, probably." He was quiet for a moment, then sighed. "Look, I know, maybe I'm not the best bounty hunter around. But it's what I really want to do... and I have learned a few things throughout the years."

"Have you ever given any thought to taking on a partner?" she asked, biting her lip uncertainly.

He had an idea of where this was going. "Not really, I mean, I'm kind of my own Gran, y'know? Don't like having others to worry about, and I like calling all the shots."

"Oh...," she said meekly, tilting her head down.

"On the other hand, maybe if the right person were to come around... ," he said thoughtfully.

"Yeah?" she inquired, interested.

"I mean it couldn't be just anybody. They'd have to know how to shoot, have a little street smarts, and y'know, be calm under pressure, that kind of thing."

"And have their own blaster?" she said, pulling out the weapon she had stashed after they'd incapacitated the cartel thug.

Nars nodded in approval. "That would definitely be a plus." He then tilted his head back, returning to his much-anticipated phase of relaxation. "So you let me know if you run across anyone that fits that description, okay?" he said, smirking.

"Okay," she said. Then she hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Nars. For everything." She pulled away, but not before planting a small peck on his cheek.

"Yeah, kid. Think nothing of it." He regarded her. "And thank you. For everything."

* * *

After a very quiet, cheerless trip back to Fi'ar'la aboard a Jedi transport, Vhinh bowed good day to his master and retreated to his quarters, where he planned to immediately begin his sentencing. The last twenty-four hours had been an exceptionally formative experience for him. He had seen highs and lows, bonded with his master, and seen some of his true potential as a Jedi realized. Admittedly, he was rather impressed with his own ability, but he knew he had years of work ahead of him to hone the skills within his own mind, those that he had both revered and, at times, found to be a source of minor annoyance in his master. Still, he saw their worth, and knew they would prove to be his greatest asset.

He'd had no idea of the toll the day had taken on him until now. He found it difficult to put his mind completely at ease, partly because of the down note the day had ended on, partly because he was still worked up from all the exertion, though he was mentally exhausted. After a couple hours of meditation, he retired to his bed.

Vhinh was awoken the next morning, barely after dawn, by his door chime. Giving a quick stretch and shaking his head, he arose and went to receive the visitor. It was his Master. "Good morning, master. Is everything okay?"

"Quite. I'd like you to meet me in the main hall, Vhinh. There are a few matters we must discuss. Clean yourself up and report promptly."

"Yes, master," he said, wondering what this could be in regards to. Had the members of council heard of his indiscretion and superseded his master's decision on the matter? Surely not after all this. He hoped. He wanted to race down there right away, find out what it was all about. It couldn't be anything good, could it? They'd fought a good fight yesterday, but it's not like they would get any award for mindlessly slaughtering a horde of cartel members.

Arriving in the temple's main hall wide awake and freshly groomed, he saw several of the masters, members of the council, and then Master Ytalha, standing with a small toddler he'd never seen before. "Vhinh Skywalker," his master formally addressed him.

Not knowing quite what to do, Vhinh tentatively took to one knee, bowing to the masters.

"Your study with us has taken you to many places, both mentally and physically. You have always shown to be one of our most promising students, and the progression of your training has been substantial. While you have displayed fault at times, we collectively believe that the skill and dedication you have displayed as a padawan more than outweigh any mistakes you have made, hence you have in fact proven worthy of your place here with us. I've called this meeting in light of the events of yesterday. Though it ended on a grim note, I was very impressed with the ability you displayed, both in your handle of the Force, and, more importantly, your handle of yourself, two things which must go hand in hand. While showing impressive power and skill, you also came through and made the right decisions when they mattered most, demonstrating your value of life and your dedication to upholding these values. I believe you have all the makings to be a great Jedi one day, Vhinh." Vhinh's eyes widened at hearing this. His master continued, "But you must first pass your trials." Vhinh nodded. Did this mean his trials would no longer be suspended? If so, when would they be? Would he have more time to prepare for them?

As if to answer, Master Ytalha said, "Vhinh Skywalker, today will be the day of your trials. As in life, some things may not be anticipated, so you must always be prepared. Upon dismissal, you will report to the training area, where you will receive further instruction. Before you leave, however, there is one other thing..." Master Ytalha looked to the young child by his side, a boy who looked to be about two or three. "I would like you to meet someone, our newest inductee. His name is Jhanopellis Udo, and he may soon be your first padawan, once you have been knighted, which I am confident you will be."

Vhinh arose, ecstatic, making his way to the small boy. He offered his hand. The boy looked up at him in wonder. "Greetings, Jhanopellis Udo, and welcome to our family. I look forward to training with you," he smiled.

"Greetings, Master Skywalker," Jhanopellis replied.

"Oh, I'm not a master," he grinned. "Though someday, I hope to be."

"He may soon be calling you _his _master, Vhinh, once you pass your trials," Master Ytalha reminded.

_ Wow, _he thought. To be called 'Master'. To pass on everything that he had learned, to have someone look to him, look _up _to him, as he had his own master. As he still did, and always would. At that moment, he felt a new level of gratitude toward Master Ytalha for all the time and wisdom he'd shared. He would make it his goal to do justice to the teachings he had received, and to strive to be as great as his own master one day.

"Well, I suppose we've delayed this long enough, haven't we," said Master Ytalha. "The day is still young, and you've much work ahead of you. You are dismissed, padawan."

_ Padawan. _After today, he may no longer have that title. It was amazing how quickly things could change, how things both small and large could have such an immediate impact on one's life. As Vhinh headed to the training room, he reflected on all of this. Yesterday he didn't know if he would be a padawan anymore, and today, he faced the prospect of receiving the title of Jedi Knight. Of having his own padawan, the young boy who he couldn't wait to get to know. He would give him the best training he was capable of, and he would make sure that he was entirely deserving of it every time he heard that young boy say the word _Master_.

* * *

Deep within the confines of Darth Sceptaurus's secret abode, he was engaged in a holocom transmission with his new ally, Zabra.

"I must say I'm pleased with the outcome of our little endeavor, Zabra."

"I don't know why," Zabra contested. "We lost a couple hundred men, not to mention three gunships and dozens of starfighters and other assorted ships, and we didn't even get any credits out of the deal." Zabra crossed his arms, pouting.

"I told you, Zabra, credits are not the concern. I could show you more credits than you could imagine, but you must follow my lead. We accomplished exactly what we set out to. The bounty hunters have gained more credibility, the Jedi have _lost _some, not to mention the huge moral impact this will have on them, the poor weak fools. I have to admit, our garrison force held up their part of the plan perfectly, they indeed fought to the last man."

"As if they had a choice. You hand-picked men with families, telling them if they allowed any Jedi to reach the main control room, you'd execute them _and _their families. I would almost go so far as to say that tactic was beneath even _me._"

"You show weakness, Zabra. One of the biggest things you will need to work on if we are to be successful."

"Watch it. I can be as cold-hearted as the next guy, if and when it is necessary, which I'm not entirely sure this was. If we were just going to disperse our four 'bounty hunters' at just the right moment, why did we need all these other casualties? Even without the garrison, we still had all the hostages, which would have been enough to keep all the Jedi away."

"Yes, but we had to make it look believable. And remember, this was also a double-edged attack on the Jedi, having the bounty hunters outdo them, as well as making them look like mindless killers. Not only did this hurt their reputation, but it surely hurt their morale. Now add in the fact that our invading force was put down with a minimal amount of strife, and this gives the public a sense of false security. That they can _survive _without the Peacekeepers. That the Republic made the right decision."

Zabra processed all of this. "I must say I'm astounded, my lord. You really did put a lot of thought into this plan. So what's next, then."

"The galaxy is now our playground, Zabra. Do all the things you couldn't do before the Peacekeepers disbanded. Just don't be reckless. We still want to nurture that false sense of security. We've taken down the Peacekeepers, next are the Jedi. We start by weakening them, slowly diminishing the public's need for their services. We make sure that our 'bounty hunters' are constantly rendering the Jedi's attempts futile. They will be there _first_, they will be in the right places, at the right times. They will be our new _heroes_."

"That is a very tall order! It sounds good, sure, but do you have any idea what it would take to carry out such a plan on the scale we are talking about? Yes, we control the two largest cartels in the galaxy, but we can't be everywhere. And if we keep thwarting our own activities, our profits will also suffer."

"Be creative, Zabra. You've a developed criminal mind, so use it. You know what you can get away with, and what you can't. The Jedi can't be everywhere, either. But soon, we will be. We will be expanding. We will create a presence, embedding ourselves within galactic society, ever so discreetly, until the Jedi discover that we are everywhere before they even realize."

"I see. A lot like what you did with your organization, expanding under our very noses until you were too large to put a stop to."

"Very insightful, my friend. Now remember, this is only one phase of many. It will be a gradual process; patience is key. You are still a young Hutt, only a few hundred years old if I'm not mistaken. And I... well, I have all the time in the galaxy."

Ending the transmission, Sceptaurus noticed a small cruiser appear above-ground on his surveillance cam. He hit a button, which moved a few boulders, revealing the entrance to a large underground hangar. He walked to the hangar to greet his guest.

"Sada, my dear!" he said as the attractive woman from the holocom transmissions emerged from the cockpit. "How was your journey?"

"Without incident, my love," she said, greeting him with a deep kiss. "And how go things on your end?"

"Splendidly. Everything is really moving along, almost better than expected, had I not been gifted with such impeccable skills for planning."

"So when do I get to see it, then?" she said, eagerly.

"We can head down there right now, if you'd like."

"Yes, let's go!" she said, grabbing his arm, leading him ahead like an excited teenager. "So is it operational, then?"

"Yes, it has been for awhile, now, my dear. State-of-the-art, with the latest technology. More options than you can imagine."

"Wow, I can't believe it, my love. Our very own cloning facility. We could get in so much _trouble_!"

"Yes, if we were ever found out, we would both face execution, or lifetime imprisonment in the least. But by the time anybody _ever _finds out about this, we will be much too strong. Now, my dear, I trust you've brought our 'subject'." he studied her.

"Of course, my love," she touched her stomach. "Fell right into my trap. You know I always get what I want, it's just a matter of time."

He laughed evilly, then regarded her in admiration. "The blood of a Skywalker. I am _very_ impressed."

"It was a simple task, getting a man to succumb to my charms."

"Well, I must say, you are quite the sorceress, my dear. Imagine you, passing for a beautiful young woman," he jested.

"Yes, keep it up, _lover_, and this _woman _will be the _last _remaining Sith."

"Until our _child _is born, you mean," he grinned, touching her stomach.

"We really _are _going to rule the galaxy, aren't we?" she looked at him with anticipation.

"Why limit ourselves, my dear. Once everything comes together, _nothing _will be able to stop us." The two Sith moved in for a long, passionate kiss, and at that moment, the entire galaxy grew a shade darker.

* * *

Notes: There you have it, the final chapter of Act One! Please write a review and let me know what you think so far. This is a three-act storyline. Look for **Tainted Ties - Act Two: Rise & Decay **in a separate thread sometime within this coming week. It is a more dark and emotional storyline, delving deeper into the thoughts and feelings of the characters, and has some pretty intense action, as well. If you liked the first act, you will love Act Two. If you are following Act One, remember to follow Act Two separately so you don't miss the updates. Thank you again for reading!

Star Wars names and concepts are owned by Lucasfilm and used for creative purposes only.  
Original names and concepts created by Tony Mancosu. Cover art by Tony Mancosu.


End file.
